


Saving You

by e_addi



Series: Salvation [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Gen, Genderbending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-22
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-16 14:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1351369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/e_addi/pseuds/e_addi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Because you're worth it." Harriet was done with all the lies and deceit. She was done being Dumbledore's Golden Girl. She wanted out from the war, regardless of everything else. So she escaped. Magic help her with her new journey into the wide world beyond Wizarding Britain. Because Harriet was bringing waves with her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> New story- Woohoo! ... Though that's probably not a great idea considering all my other unfinished fics. *insert sheepish laugh here*
> 
> Anyway, quick note that this is a Female!Harry fic. I've always liked the name Anastasia, but I wanted to keep her 'Harry' nickname as well. Thus I used Harriet Anastasia Potter. Another note is that this fic will have some Fate/Stay Night elements. I haven't really gotten far in this fic yet and I will probably update a chapter once I've written another to the 3 chapters I've already written. For once, I actually have an working till the end plot going on. So hopefully (maybe) this will be one I can list as complete sooner or later(most probably later, though haha). Hope you'll enjoy this fic as much as I enjoyed plotting and writing it.
> 
> I do not own Harry Potter
> 
> Warnings: Possible OOC, several minor OCs, Fem!Harry, Grey/Borderline-Dark!Harry, Fate/Stay Night element

**_Prologue_ **

****

That was the only emotion Harriet Potter could feel right now. It has been days after October 31st and all she could feel was hurt. Normally, the jeers and sneers wouldn't affect her much.

It was Ron and Hermione who wouldn't believe that she didn't enter the stupid Tri-Wizard Tournament on her own that hurt her. They had been friends since first year. They were her best friends. They knew her better than anyone else. She trusted them.

But they didn't trust her.

And that hurt. To trust someone so completely only to find that they didn't trust her as much as she trusted them _hurt so much_. People say she was over reacting. That she should be _grateful_ for the chance to compete in such an esteemed tournament. But all she wanted to do was curl up in bed or cuddle with Sirius and cry.

She didn't _want_ to be in this stupid competition. She didn't _want_ fame. She didn't _want_ the money. She didn't want _anything_ to do with the stupid tournament.

Ron and Hermione should _know_ that. They should _know_ how much she hated it. And yet, they believed she had entered a tournament that could threaten her life.

And it hurt. So, so very much.

She couldn't handle the sneers and glares and disappointment and congratulations from the rest of the school. The Slytherin and Hufflepuffs with their 'Potter Stinks' badges and hurtful words. The Ravenclaw and their judging eyes and harsh words. Her own Gryffindors with their refusal to believe anything she said.

She was _so_ very tired.

So here she was in the only place she knew no one would be able to get to: the Chamber of Secrets. She had cried and cried and cried. For herself. For Sirius. For her parents. For her broken trust. For her future.

Was she going to face death in the face again this year. First and Second year with Voldemort. Third year with Dementors. This year was the tournament with a death record. She didn't want to face death again this year. Or the year after, if she survived this one. She just wanted to get through school _normally_.

Harriet sniffled as she lifted her eyes to the dead Basilisk. It's been two years and yet, it still hasn't decayed. She wondered what was normalcy, anyway. Was normal being muggle or witch? What was the difference? One could do magic and the other couldn't?

She thought of her life if she didn't have magic. Would her parents still be alive? Would Sirius be free?  Would Voldemort ever target her? Would Aunt Petunia accept her?

There were so many questions but she only knew the answer to one. Aunt Petunia had made it clear on the day she found out she was a witch.

_"I would never accept you! Not unless you got rid of your freakishness!"_

Harriet then thought about magic. What was so special about it? It was both dangerous and useful. But so was technology. Magic had the Floo and Apparation while muggles had cars and airplanes. Magic had the killing curse and muggles had tons of weapons designed to kill.

In the end, what was normal?

Harriet could feel more tears fall from her eyes. Right now, all she wanted to do was curl up with Sirius and cry on him. Sirius was the only one who showed that he truly cared and loved her. If she didn't have magic, would Sirius still accept her? He would, wouldn't he?

He would always be with her. He promised she wouldn't be alone anymore. She knew he would follow her if she wanted to live in the muggle world. He escaped Azkaban for her, after all. Plus, Sirius never had a trial. Maybe if they moved to another country, he could ask for one.

At that moment, Harriet paused and backtracked.

If she quit the tournament, she would lose her magic. She would be a muggle. She could go to muggle school and move to another country to get away. Maybe Sirius and her could move to Germany. Sirius could ask for a trial in Germany. She knew from hearing Hermione talk that they would give trials to whoever they saw fit. Sirius never had a trial and as a Lord, he could ask for one there and he could be free if he gave a Pensieve memory of what happened back in October 1981.

Then, other countries would accept that Sirius was innocent. Because Germany had a court that was known for finding out the truth and judge fairly rather than to prosecute aimlessly like Britain seemed to be fond of doing.

They could build a new life. Sirius would be free. Maybe Remus could come along with them. And Harry would have the family she wanted.

A smile began forming on her lips as a plan began to form in her head. She could do this. She needed to mail Sirius.

Finally finding a light of hope, Harry  stood quickly and practically ran out of the chambers to her dormitory for supplies. Hedwig was going to be busy soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next - Chapter One: Letters to Salvation
> 
> Dear Padfoot,
> 
> "It's okay Hedwig. We'll be out of here soon and you can fly where ever you want."
> 
> "We've been lied to, Dobby."
> 
> Be strong for me, pup.
> 
> \-----------  
> I will be slow on updates so please be patient with me. Thank you so much for reading! Please do leave reviews about your thoughts about this story!


	2. Letters to Salvation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Possible OOC, several minor OCs, Fem!Harry, Child Abuse, Grey/Borderline-Dark!Harry, Fate/Stay Night elements

**_Chapter One: Letters to Salvation_ **

****

 

_Dear Padfoot,_

_This year, it seems like something is out to get me still. The Tri-Wizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts. Champions for the tournament are decided by this old magical goblet. The tournament has a trail of death records and you guessed it! My name came out as a champion for it._

_First of all, please believe me that I never entered the tournament, Padfoot. I just wanted one normal year, but Fate seems to hate me so I'm being forced to enter the tournament. Ron, Hermione, the professors and the rest of the school don't believe me. I don't know how my name got into the goblet, but Professor Moody says there might be someone (You-Know-Who) who wants me dead. There's no way around it. The Goblet of Fire is a magically binding contract. Professor Dumbledore says I have to compete. If I don't I'll lose my magic._

_Now comes the main reason of this letter, Padfoot. It's something big and it's something I've been thinking about since my name came out of that thrice damned goblet. I don't mind losing my magic. I've lived as a muggle for most of my life, I can live the rest of it without magic. I just... I want to know what you think. I don't want to participate in the tournament. It's dangerous and I would rather lose my magic than face a danger I don't know I'll live from._

_So I'm willing to lose my magic and live as a muggle. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me? Not losing your magic of course. But I want to move away from Britain. I hear Germany has an excellent court system and that maybe we could get you an international trial there. You could be free, Padfoot. And then we could move somewhere else. We could even take Remus along! We'd be a family, Padfoot. I'm going to lose my magic. But I don't want to lose you._

_I know this is a lot to think about. I don't want to force you, Padfoot. But I don't want to participate in the tournament. I'm going to announce it to the Headmaster during dinner in a few weeks (17th November, it's a little early perhaps but I don't want to get caught in anything else) so please reply before then?_

_Love you, Padfoot. Hope you're well._

Harriet smiled softly as she finished her letter to Sirius. She turned to the large book she found after scrounging around in the Restricted Section. There was a spell that could make Hedwig invisible to any and all wards. She had practiced it relentlessly and hoped it would work. If it didn't, at least she knew that Dumbledore would know of her plans. He would try to persuade her to rethink her decisions but she wasn't budging on this.

The other houses, heck even her own house could call her a coward for running away. But she didn't want anything to do with the tournament. She lived as a muggle before, she could do it for the rest of her life.

As she folded the letter into an envelope, she thought about how she and Sirius was going to get to Germany. She was confident Sirius would follow her. He was the only one who never lied, never avoided the truth or completely omit it from her. He truly loved her and she loved her godfather dearly.

She thought about her trust vault and wondered if there was enough to cover their expenses to Germany. Then a thought hit her. If she had a _trust vault_ at Gringotts, does that mean her parents had their own vaults? Wouldn't that mean she would inherit them? Why didn't she know this? Better yet, where was their wills?

Harriet frowned in thought and took out more parchment. She was in the Chamber of Secrets, in a room that was hidden in a wall in the main chamber. There were several books and journals, most were probably a thousand years old while some were fairly recent. Most probably they were Tom's books from 50 years ago. She was curious, but didn't touch them.

She had brought Dobby down here to clean the place up a little so she could use it. Dobby was absolutely ecstatic about helping her. She reluctantly agreed he could bring her meals here when she wanted to avoid the Great Hall.

Ron was still not talking to her and while Hermione still didn't believe her, she had asked where she had kept disappearing. Harriet was still hurt about her best friends not believing her, so she had merely kept silent and ignored her. Hermione had stopped badgering her after a while and she heard Ron talk about how she was ignoring them because she was all high and mighty about being a champion.

It had hurt of course. But she pushed down the tears that threatened to form during class and headed straight for the Chambers once it was over.

Now though, she concentrated on her second letter. This time to Gringotts.

_Merry meet, Goblins of Gringotts._

_I, Harriet Anastasia Potter, daughter of James and Lily Potter would like to request any and all accounts that I have in Gringotts. If possible, I would also like to request my accounts' bank statements and any other documents pertaining to them. I understand that I am underage, however if it is at all possible to adhere to my requests, I would be highly appreciated and grateful for it._

_I would also hope that you could tell me if my parents had left a will when they had passed? I am unsure whether to ask you or the Ministry for it as I was not raised in the magical world, much of its customs are lost to me. I apologize in advance if this offends you in any way._

_Finally, I will be leaving the country by the 21 st of November at the very latest. As such, I would like to request for an appointment to discuss anything pertaining to my accounts as well as to make withdrawals for my travels as soon as possible before then._

_May Thy Gold and the Blood of Thy Enemies Always Flow._

_Harriet Anastasia Potter._

Satisfied with the letter, she folded it and sealed it in another envelope. While being isolated by her friends and the rest of the school, she had found a book in the library about Goblin customs. It was an interesting and illuminating read and she wondered why other wizards weren't more polite with the Goblins that handle their finances. They were after all the ones who handled all their money and wealth. Being rude and disrespecting their customs wasn't really a good idea to her.

Then she remembered their reaction to her in second year and the question left her mind. As far as she could see, wizards and witches were fickle and didn't like anyone different just like muggles do. If she was considered Dark just for having the ability to talk to snakes who were her only companions when she was a child, she didn't want to know what they thought about Magical Creatures.

Gathering her supplies, she left the chambers using the exit she found in the rooms that lead to the main antechamber from the portrait of Salazar Slytherin's youngest daughter - not that anyone knew it was her. Peeking out of the portrait, she looked around for people. When she saw none, she opened the portrait door wider and stepped out and closed it softly. She smiled widely at the portrait in thanks.

**:Thank you, Serenity.:**

The portrait smiled back. **:You're welcome, little Serpent.:**

Quickly, Harriet tossed the Invisibility Cloak over her head and rushed to the Owlery. She had begun to walk around with her cloak on since she didn't want to deal with the other students.

It shows a lot that Hermione and Ron don't even notice when she's gone anymore. She normally sits at the back of the class and stays quiet unless the professors call on her. Which was rare since Professor Sprout ignored her and Hermione kept answering all the questions first. Professor Snape had surprisingly left her alone.

Arriving at the Owlery, she sent a small prayer of thanks to magic that there wasn't anyone there. Quickly, she located Hedwig.

"Hey, girl." She cooed at her beloved owl. "I need you to take this letter to Gringotts first. Then take this one to Sirius, okay?" She asked as she tied one letter to Hedwig's leg and gave the other for her to hold with her beak.

Hewig hooted in agreement and Harriet couldn't help but smiled. She hadn't smiled much these past few days. "It's okay Hedwig. We'll be out of here soon and you can fly where ever you want."

She casted the spell on Hedwig and the snow owl flew off. As Harriet watched Hedwig fly off, she felt a small burden being lifted off her shoulders.

If everything goes well, she would be free by next week.

\-------------------

Harriet was in the Chamber of Secrets again, practicing casting of old spells she knew as well as new ones she learned from higher level books. She knew some of them were dark. Most, if not all were from books she found in the chamber itself. There were some healing spells as well, but she didn't have anything to practice on.

The more offensive ones however, she tested on the dead Basilisk.

Practicing Dark Magic was addicting. The first time she casted a fairly dark cutting curse, her entire body shook in anticipation of more. And she did just that. She casted Dark Spell after Dark Spell, draining her magic quickly. Luckily for her, Serenity had called on Dobby to stop her before she went too far.

She now understood why so many people who practice Dark Magic go insane and why it was banned. It was so addictive and powerful that it nearly made _her_ go insane from it. Wanting to cast it again and again.

But she stopped. She still practiced it, but moderately now. She had Dobby stop her after an hour, and she would only continue the next day. As the week passed, she got used to the allure of weaker Dark Magic and started going for stronger ones. She was honestly surprised how easily Dark Spells come to her. She took a longer time learning the Patronus Charm last year.

It was now Saturday so she was not surprised when Dobby appeared in the Chambers with a letter bearing the Gringotts official seal. Harriet had asked Dobby if he could keep an eye out for her mail. She didn't want Hedwig to get ambushed trying to find her in the Great Hall. Excited, Harriet broke the seal and read the letter.

She didn't expect to feel so angry and betrayed once she was done.

_Merry meet, Miss Potter._

_It has come to our attention that you have not been receiving your bank statements that we have been forwarding to your magical guardian, Albus Dumbledore. If our assumptions from your letter to us are correct, then the withdrawals by Dumbledore from your account was made without your knowledge as well._

_For that, we would like to deeply apologize for our error. As your magical guardian, it was assumed that Dumbledore had your express permission to withdraw from your account. For now, we have frozen your account and Dumbledore can no longer access them._

_The only good thing was that he could not withdraw from the main Potter Vaults or the vaults your parents held which they willed to you. He only had access to your trust vault and had made quarterly withdrawals since your parents passing that amounted to 40,000 Galleons. Once again, we apologize deeply for this error._

_Your parents will is indeed kept in Gringotts. The Ministry of Magic has nothing to do with any assets or finances of any witch of wizard. However it was sealed a day before your parents passing by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Dumbledore. As the main recipient of your parents will as well as Heiress to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, you are allowed to unseal their will._

_We have made an appointment for you on Friday, the 19 th of November. Attached to this letter is a card port key that will take you to Gringotts on that day at 12:00 PM. We will further our discussions on the vaults in your possession, your actions against Dumbledore and your inheritance then. _

_May Thy Vaults and Wealth Always Grow,_

_Ragnok,  
Director of Gringotts_

Harriet couldn't believe it. Dumbledore, the great Albus Dumbledore had been _stealing_ from her. He had lied to her and _stole_ from her. Her hands shook as her grip on her wand and the letter tightened.

Was everyone lying to her? Was there an ulterior motive behind Dumbledore's actions?  Who was her true friends then if the man she had believed saved her from the Dursleys had been lying to her face and stealing from her? She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes as the pain of betrayal hit her again. Her very fragile trust in the people around her cracking even more.

"Miss Hari Potter?"

Harriet turned to Dobby's concerned gaze. She smiled sadly to him. "We've been lied to, Dobby. Dumbledore has been stealing from my vaults."

Dobby's eyes widened before clutching them close. Harriet dropped down to her knees and hugged the little house elf as she too let her tears flow and cried her heart out.

If Dumbledore couldn't be trusted, if Dumbledore was lying to her.

What about Sirius?

\--------------

It was now Monday. Two days before Harriet would lose her magic and four days before she went to Gringotts. By the end of the week, she would be out of the country with or without Sirius.

And _oh Godric_ , she was a damned _mess_. She had been crying almost every night, waiting for Sirius's letter. Her hair looked messier than normal and she was lacking sleep. She knew it would take time for Hedwig to hunt him down and then deliver his reply back to her, but she was stressed out from finding out about Dumbledore.

She was jittery and no longer talked in class. She always went around under the invisibility cloak now. She took meals in the chambers and talked to Serenity's portrait, pouring her heart out to her every night she managed to sneak out.

Serenity Slytherin's portrait was a reminder of what her mother could have been to her that comforted her even though she couldn't offer the warmth and touch of a physical mother. On days when she felt her anger bubbling to the surface, she would escape to the chambers and talk to her.

Parseltongue was becoming soothing to her as she listened to Serenity's comforting lullabies and childish stories in the ancient language. More often than not, she would nod off and Dobby would pop her back to bed quietly.

She was officially panicking now that Sirius hadn't replied and she couldn't concentrate on anything. That was why she was skipping her classes today and burying her head in a new pillow in the Chamber of Secrets. Debating on just going up and losing her magic now than later.

As if on cue, Dobby appeared looking excited but frazzled, with a letter in his hands. Harriet frantically snatched the letter and ripped it open. Reading it, the contents made her weep, but this time it was in relief and joy.

_Dearest beloved pup,_

_I'm coming with you._

_I'll do my utmost best to be in Hogsmead by Friday. Can't write much since the Aurors are on to me. Nice touch with the spell on the owl, by the way. I'll love you even if you turn into a snake, pup. I don't mind if you want to live as a muggle. We'll go Germany, then France. Or America. Blacks have property everywhere. Or we'll use the Potter property. Whatever you want. We'll go to Gringotts to transfer everything of ours to wherever we're moving to. We'll be free from Britain. From everything._

_Be strong for me, pup. I'll be there soon._

_Love,_

And Harriet Potter cried herself to sleep in happiness. Everything was moving along so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next - Chapter Two: The Price of Freedom
> 
> "Wish me luck Serenity, Mum and Dad."
> 
> "And what is that statement."
> 
> "I lost my parents on the 31st of October 1981."
> 
> "So mote it be."
> 
> \-----------------
> 
> Sorry for the long wait! I was stuck on the transitioning between scenes for the fourth chapter. Deadline and exams are in April and May and after that- I'll be free to write this to my hearts content!


	3. The Price of Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Possible OOC, several minor OCs, Female!Harry, Child Abuse, Grey/Borderline-Dark!Harry, Fate/Stay Night elements

It was now the 17 th of November, 1994. The day Harriet Potter would lose her magic.

Not that anyone other than Sirius or Harriet knew that. But it was a significant day that would be remembered by all. The day the Girl-Who-Lived cowardly lost her magic instead of participating in the highly esteemed Tri-Wizard Tournament.

 _To hell with what they thought._ Harriet thought angrily.

She would be free soon. Just a couple more days and she would be saying goodbye to Britain. Goodbye to her 'friends'. Goodbye to people who never listened. Goodbye to the disloyalties. Goodbye to the uncaring press. Today was the first step to her freedom. And nothing was going to stop her. For once, she would adhere to the rumours of her being an attention seeking spoiled brat. She would burst through the Hall, gathering all their attention to her.

Harriet stood in front of the closed ornate doors of the Great Hall. She could hear the happy chattering from the inside. She remembered briefly, very painfully, being part of that. It seemed like such a distant memory to her now.

That small piece of happiness from just talking to her friends and housemates during breakfast, dinner and lunch or even in the halls and on the Quidditch pitch. That small piece of happiness from arguing with Draco and the Slytherins. From chatting with the Hufflepuffs. From listening to Ravenclaws. She took a deep breath to gather her Gryffindor courage, her hands clutching the letter from Sirius in her pocket.

She was nervous, of course. After all, after this day she would no longer have any magic. Magic, that had brought both happiness and suffering to her. Magic, that had been her only company and source of warmth and strength during those years of torture. Magic, that had hurt her and put her down when she was already at her worst. She would lose it once and for all. She would be free.

_Be strong for me, pup. I'll be there soon._

Sirius was coming. They'll be a family once everything was settled. If Remus wanted to, they could be a family together. The Marauders once again. A smile formed on her lips.

"Wish me luck Serenity, Mum and Dad." She whispered under her breath.

And as she pushed the doors open, she felt magic rush to help her and a soft ghostly whisper she thought was just the wind from opening the doors.

_"Good luck. We love you, Anastasia."_

* * *

 

When the doors to the Great Hall burst open during dinner on the 17th of November, every single person inside turned to look and stare as Harriet Potter stared on with a hard, cold expression on her face. Her normally warm, green eyes that expressed her feelings so freely were now icy cold and hardened from the world. Her hands were clenched into tight fists as she strode purposefully down the aisle towards the Headmasters table.

Whispers broke out between the students as she walked. Ravenclaws were curious. Hufflepuffs were glaring. Slytherins were wary. And Gryffindors didn't know what to do. They had never encountered such a cold look in the normally warm girl. Not even when she was accused of being the Heir of Slytherin did she adopt such a icy look in her eyes. Students from Beauxbaton and Drumstrung merely watched with mixed confusion and curiosity.

Slytherins were wary because they could practically feel the dark magic that seeped from her. Being made of entirely Dark or Neutral families, they knew that somehow, Gryffindor's Golden Girl had been practising Dark Magic. She wasn't powerful, no. They could feel Light magic still enveloping her, the Dark Magic strong but not overwhelmingly so. Her magic was Neutral, almost borderline Dark. But Neutral still.

Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye spun and locked on to the girl. And what he saw would forever shock him. Grey Magic, tinted with dark, dark crimson and bright, bright gold magic _leaked_ from the girls' every pore. The multitude of magic surrounding her was thick and powerful and it reeked of strong emotions, further fuelling it.

Snape paled rapidly when he felt her magic. The girl had been practicing Dark Magic. Regularly enough that it managed to taint her previously Light Magic so much that her Light magic was tainted grey and dark crimson. He was horrified that Lily's girl was able of such a feat but he was even more terrified of the cold, hard look in her eyes. He only saw those eyes that cold once. And that was when Lily had ended their 16 years old long friendship. And it terrified him because he didn't know what was the cause for Lily's girl to get such a look in her eyes.

Stopping in front of the Headmasters of the three schools, she defiantly stared into Dumbledore's eyes. She could feel her magic rolling off her in waves and she silently mourned it, knowing she was about to lose her constant companion over the years. She knew her magic was affecting the Headmasters as well. Dumbledore lost that magic damned twinkle in his eyes. Madame Maxine was rigid in her seat and Professor Karkaroff was as pale as a white sheet paper.

"Good evening, Headmasters." Her voice was flat and cold. It carried throughout the hall, silencing any and all conversation and whispers. Everyone stared as Dumbledore slowly rose from his seat, his eyes locked onto Harriet's.

"Miss Potter... Harry..." Dumbledore started. "What are you doing?"

Harriet smiled coldly. "Since everyone in this school thinks that I entered the Tri-Wizard Tournament, I would like to make a statement."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes into a confused glare. "And what is that statement."

Her smile turned colder. "As I did not enter the tournament by myself, I will not be participating as a champion for the tournament. I refuse to take part in the tournament, no matter the consequence to myself."

Mixed reactions flooded the Hall. The true Tri-Wizard Tournament Champions were stilled and pale in their seats. They themselves heard the consequences of not participating in the tournaments would be. To be willing to lose her magic would mean that she truly did not put her name in the goblet.

One Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff felt dread and guilt fill his stomach as he watched Harriet Potter stand tall and strong, fearlessly announcing her decision to lose her magic. All this time, he had thought much the same about Harriet Potter as his housemates. That she was an attention seeking brat. He never even entertained the idea of her telling the truth about not dropping her name into the Goblet of Fire in the first place. He had seen how the rest of the school, hell even her own housemates treated her and he did nothing to stop it. And now, a girl 3 years younger than him was about to lose her magic willingly. Something he knew he would never be able to do, no matter what happened.

If possible, Snape paled even further. He knew the consequences. He was there. He had accused her himself that she had entered the tournament. And here she was, willingly going to give up her magic just so she wouldn't have to participate in the blasted tournament. His first thought was that it was just a ploy. An act that the girl insisted on going through to get attention. But he knew not even James Potter would have said anything about giving up his magic. Her cold hard eyes was proof enough that Harriet Potter, that Lily's little girl, was serious.

Dumbledore's shock was portrayed clearly on his face. What had gone wrong? Why did Harriet come to this decision? She was supposed to brave through the tasks and reach the end alive! She was not supposed to suddenly decide that she would willingly lose her magic instead of completing the tasks set out! He had to fix this. The fate of the Light rested on her shoulders.

"Harry, please." He very nearly begged. "Think this through. Not participating would mean-"

"It would mean that I would lose my magic." Harriet cut him off, her voice ringing through the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione had paled drastically from the implication of it. Everyone else stared at the girl in shock as realization that had hit the champions and professors dawn on them as well. Harriet gave Dumbledore no heed as she turned to address the her soon to be ex-fellow students.

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament is a highly esteemed one where the winner would receive eternal glory." She paused, eyeing all the houses listening to her words intently. "I ask you this: Who is the last winner of the Tri-Wizard Tournament?" She paused and smirked when no one could answer her. "Why do I need this so called 'eternal glory' when I have the fame that comes with being the 'Girl-Who-Lived'. I neither want nor need the prize of a thousand Galleon that comes with the trophy. Why should I, when I am the sole heiress to the fortune of the Most Ancient and Noble House of the Potters?

"You only saw my name come out of the Goblet of Fire on the 31st of October, 1994. You only saw that I had somehow cheated both Dumbledore's Age Line and an old and ancient magical artefact. But did you see me put my name in the Goblet? Will anyone here admit to putting my name in the Goblet for me?" Her voice rang clear through the hall, bringing all attention to her.

Harriet's cold eyes went from table to table. She recognized the shame and guilt from them but it was too late. Her trust in them was already broken and she would not give them another chance to ruin her anymore than they already have.

"I lost my parents on the 31st of October, 1981." She started again and she saw several people stiffen and adopted terrified looks at the mention of the date. "On that day, the Dark Lord Voldemort fell and according to books and everyone else, I was the one who defeated him. I was hailed as the Girl-Who-Lived; the Light's Saviour the day I lost my parents. While you celebrated the fall of the Dark Lord, I mourned for my parents deaths.

"I ask you now, since I most definitely do not know: How did I defeat a man that was called the Darkest of Dark Lords in the last two centuries? I was nothing more than a 15 month old babe. For years I have dreams of flashes of green lights. Of screams and yells of a woman who begged to spare my life from the Dark Lord. What did I do to defeat him when perhaps it was my mother's sacrifice in the end that ended that dark reign of terror?

"I was told that since my parents' passing, a mysterious blood protection was enacted to protect me as long as I was within the vicinity of a blood relative. And for years, I have lived under constant abuse and starvation with my blood Aunt and her family who hated magic and in extension: me. You may think that I am making this up. That I am lying." She paused as she stared at the stares of disbelief, especially among the Slytherins.

Raising her hands, she trembled as she unbuttoned her dress robes and let it fall to the ground. One by one, she popped open the buttons to her shirt and turned around. Letting her shirt fall and bunch around her elbows, she moved her hair aside and heard horrified and shocked gasps and screams. She could hear Hermione's horrified "No!" and Ron's shouts of denials before several people burst out crying. Professors stood up in shock, clearly confused to the reactions of the students.

She stared hatefully at Dumbledore, stunning the two headmasters beside him. Smirking she mouthed to him and all the professors behind and beside him.

"Look what you made go through. Look, stare and suffer the burden of guilt of which you have allowed me to suffer in pain."

And she turned around.

Sharp intakes of breath, chairs toppled over, Madame Maxine's soft sobs and Professor McGonagall horrified ones. She could hear Professor Snape mutters of denials and she could feel Moody's intense gaze at her back.

What had caused such reactions? It was the cuts and scars that littered her back. The bruises that still haven't healed. The words "Freak", "Die", "Useless" and "Worthless" carved into her back and would scar it forever. She knew no amount of magic could heal her scars. She knew she would bare them for the rest of her life. It was a reminder to her just what magic had brought her.

She gave them a few more moments before finally pulling up her shirt and buttoning it close. She stood there in silence for a few minutes, giving her audience time to gather themselves. She looked up and the Gryffindors finally recognized the warm green eyes they were so used to seeing. She walked confidently, undisturbed by what she had just shown them. Eyes followed her every move as she strode to the centre of the hall and turned towards the professors and a warm smile. A smile that many of them recognized as a mixture of Lily and James's smile.

"After this day. I will no longer be attending Hogwarts." Her starting sentence brought outcries throughout the hall. She held her hand up and let her magic flow to softly comfort them until they were silent. She could feel her eyes moisten at the comforting feel of her magic. She would miss this. "This is my own decision. I have no wish to participate in the tournament. And I know there is no other way around the magical binding contract of the Goblet of Fire. That is why I will now announce my decision under a Wizard's Oath, so that there may be no doubt of what will happen. I had many happy memories here in Hogwarts but it seems that it is not enough for me to continue staying here. To continue to chance at survival every year my life is threatened by something. Magic has brought me more pain than it has happiness and I will gladly give it up and live the rest of my life as a Muggle."

She took a deep breath as she pulled all of her magic back in. And opened her mouth, sealing her fate.

"I, Harriet Anastasia Potter, do so swear on my magic that I did not enter my name or ask anyone else to enter it in the Goblet of Fire nor will I participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament and any of its tasks and traditions, knowing all consequences of breaking the magically binding contract of the Goblet of Fire. So mote it be."

_"So mote it be."_

Harriet didn't have time to think of the dark voice that sealed her oath as unimaginable pain tore through her body. The Goblet was hovering above the Great Hall, lit with a sinister red flame and a string of magic attached to her body. She could hear students and professors around her screaming. She could hear _herself_ screaming in pain. Pain was all she felt and the last thing she remembered before everything went black was Snape's panicked face and a soft whisper of the same dark voice.

_"I'll take care of you, Anya."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next - Chapter Three: The Cavalry  
> ... was running as fast as his four legs could carry him.  
> ... was not quite sure what to do now.  
> ... was confused.  
> ... were very, very quiet. 
> 
> \- Can you guess who these people are? Hint: 2 out of four are connected to Harriet on a personal level. The other two are connected to Tom. Special preview to chapter four will be PM-ed to those who guessed right! You must get 3 out of 4 right! (though I think the first one shouldn't count since I already gave a dead giveaway. (lol))
> 
> \- I would also like to note that my exam papers are in May (20th & 21st), so it's best if you don't expect anything from me till Mid-June, the latest. :D


	4. The Calvary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that this chapter is has not been proofread. I may make some changes in the future.

Sirius Black was running as fast as his four legs could carry him.

Sirius Black was known as a convicted criminal who escaped from Azkaban. In truth he was wrongly accused of murdering 12 Muggles and Peter Pettigrew. He was being hunted down like a dog his Animagus form was by Dementors and Aurors. He should be thinking about how he was supposed to be avoiding those who sought to capture him.

But all he could think of was his little barely 14-year-old goddaughter who was anxiously waiting for him to come and take her away from Britain.

When he got Harriet's letter, he was impressed at her wand work of disillusioning Hedwig. Then he read her letter and wanted nothing more than to take his goddaughter away and lock her up in a room where no one else could hurt her.

He could feel the desperation in her letter that practically begged him to both believe and to love her even when she loses her magic. Sirius had straight out told her he would still love her if she turned into his most hated animal: a snake.

So here he was, running in his dog Animagus form towards Hogsmead. He only hoped he could get there before Dumbledore took her away to someplace else.

Sirius Black was running as fast as his four legs could carry him. And nothing, not even Dementors; not even Voldemort; not even magic herself, could stop him from running to his goddaughters side.

* * *

Severus Snape was not quite sure what to do now.

For 13 years, he had thought of Lily's little girl as Potter's brat. For 13 years, he had thought the Potter brat had been pampered and doted upon just like her father was. For 13 years, he was told that she was happy and safe. For the past 3 years, he refused to see her resemblance to Lily. For the past 3 years, he refused to see her diminishing spirit and trust of those around her.

For the past 13 years, he regretted not being the uncle Lily had asked him to be.

So now he sat in his quarters, several bottles of Firewhiskey and other Muggle liquor littered his floor. In his left hand was a bottle of a half drunk bottle of vodka and in the other was a picture of him and Lily before they went to Hogwarts.

He now realized just how much Harriet Potter resembled Lily Evans. How Harriet would bite her bottom lip in concentration when cutting potion ingredients just like Lily did. How Harriet's green eyes would twinkle as she look at her friends just like Lily's eyes did. How Harriet's fascination with Runes was so similar to Lily's fascination with Charms.

Then there were _differences_.

Like how Harriet would twitch first before responding to her name. How Harriet's eyes would cautiously roam the room quickly before fully entering it. How Harriet would occasionally look back in the hallways. How she would flinch when voices were raised. How she was at first terrified of messing something up, before she realized something else and relaxed.

Everything she did were signs. Signs of the abuse she had suffered under the house of Petunia Dursley and her family. Signs he should have noticed because he had _went through it before as well._

Severus Snape was not quite sure what to do now. But so help him, he would do his best to make sure Lily's little girl could finally get the happiness and kindness she deserved.

* * *

Mad-Eye Moody was confused.

Well, he was pretending to be Mad-Eye Moody, so that was a given.

Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Jr.  was confused.

When he had come to Hogwarts under his Lords' orders to enter Harriet Potter's name into the Goblet of Fire, he had expected the Girl-Who-Lived to bravely face through the sneers of her classmates and be the rising Golden Girl who would breeze through the tournaments' tasks. He had expected her friends and school mates to support her like they did that Hufflepuff. Since obviously, she was the famous Girl-Who-Everyone-Wanted-To-Be-Close-To.

He was wrong.

The whole school turned against the Light's Golden Girl. Her friends practically abandoned her and for those few weeks, he watched as she blended into the crowd more and more. Soon after, she started disappearing between classes. And then he could no longer find her after classes. She had stopped coming to the Great Galls for meals by the 2nd week of November.

Now, he wondered if he was wrong about Harriet Potter. He had imagined her as the Light's new icon after Dumbledore. But it seemed like they did not trust her at all. Not even her closest friends. Barty could see that the only people who didn't mock or ridicule her was the shy Longbottom in Gryffindor and the weird Lovegood girl in Ravenclaw and the quietly cold ice princess in Slytherin, Greengrass.

But then, Harriet Potter came bursting into the Great Hall and he was thrown back to the time his Lord had done much the same when he entered through huge doors. With magic almost lovingly swirling around him, helping him push open the heavy doors and engulfing them all in a display of controlled powerful magic.

Harriet Potter's entrance was much the same as his Lord. Her magic was only _tainted_ with dark, but dark enough that he had to make sure the girl walking so defiantly through the Great Hall was indeed the Light's Saviour, Harriet Potter.

His Lord's magic was so much darker and alluring, commanding all the attention in the room to him. He had the grace and powerful elegance of a Dark Lord most if not all Dark Wizards would follow. Her magic was more comforting. It felt more like a mother's loving touch or a sister's protective embrace.

Her control over the magic she had spread through the hall was shaky, at best. Nothing like his Lord and yet it was so similar he could swear Harriet Potter was really his Lord.

And then, she started speaking.

And speak she did. She commanded attention. Drew all their eyes and all their attention to her and her alone. Even though she wasn't facing the students, he could see they were all enraptured by the young Dark Witch in the making.

Or well, Grey-Dark Witch in the making.

After a truly eye-opening speech about the tournament and then about her life, when she mouthed those words to Dumbledore, he was confused. Then, she showed her back and to say he was shocked was more of an understatement.

Barty had seen a lot of torture in his life. _Salazar_ , he himself had tortured people! But he and the other Death Eaters never touched a single child. Even when they did raids, they would leave at the very least the mother and the child alive. The Potters and Longbottoms were the exception because of that damned prophecy.

Children were precious in the Wizarding World. They were few and many married couples sometimes don't even have one. They were supposed to be adored and taken care of. To be spoiled and loved. Those were the Dark Lord's words even though he had heard in the passing from the original members of the Inner Circle that the Dark Lord did not really understand the concept of 'love'.

To see the Light's Saviour's back littered with scars of demeaning words and wounds and unhealed bruises and burns, he was horrified, disgusted, shocked to the core and he felt a lot of other things too. It wasn't as bad as what he had done in torture but the girl had received those scars as a _child_. Most probably, she got them before Hogwarts.

Which meant she was below 10 at the time she received those scars.

Even though he had only see the top part of her back, he could see that she was malnourished. She was, after all, short for her age than the rest of her peers. He had wondered why she was so short when her parents had been so tall. Now he wished it was only because of genes from her grandparents or something. Anything other than abuse.

Now, Barty sat in his office drinking his Polyjuice Potion and wondering what he should do now. His Lord had tasked him with making sure Harriet Potter got through the tournament but with Potter now a Muggle, how was he going to do that?

He knew his Lord wasn't as sane as he was when he had first started his reign. But he hoped there was a little of the humanity that had stopped him from murdering children still there inside of him. Barty would show his Lord his memories of tonight and hope to Merlin, to Salazar, to Magic that his Lord would still have the sense to leave the girl alone in peace.

Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Jr.  was confused. But he sure as hell wasn't going to stop it from trying to get his Lord to see sense.

* * *

Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom were very, very quiet.

The 3rd year Ravenclaw and 4th year Gryffindor were sitting quietly in chairs next to Harriet's bed in the Hospital Wing. After the Goblet had taken away Harriet's magic, she had collapsed into a panicked Professor Snapes arms. It was the first time the two had ever seen such emotions flit across the normally closed off Potions Master's face.

Luna and Neville had never seen anyone lose their magic before. Augusta Longbottom, Neville's gran had told him losing one's magic was extremely painful. The pain of losing one's magic was as painful if not more than the pain of the Cruciatus Curse. Losing one's magic meant becoming a Muggle. Not even a Squib, but a Muggle! That meant there would be no traces of her magic to prove that Harriet had been a witch before. She would be a Muggle.

Neville cringed. If losing one's magic was more painful than the Cruciatus Curse that had rendered his parents' minds to mush, he hoped Harriet would use her insane luck and survive this. He felt incredibly guilty for not being a better friend to Harriet. He had seen how lonely she was and how she had continued to retreat elsewhere for the past few weeks. But he had blatantly ignored the signs and her pain, instead focusing on his non-existent grades (except in Herbology) and the occasional name calling from the Slytherins.

Luna never knew someone could lose their magic before. Sure, she had heard stories and rumours - helping her daddy write articles and find information had given her a wealth of rumours, but she had never really been sure if it was possible for someone to lose their magic. Harriet had been very kind to her. She had listened to her talking about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Nargles and Wrackspurts. She had even kept the Nargles away once when she wasn't talking with Hermione and Ronald.

But Harriet has lost her magic now. She was not going to be at Hogwarts any longer. There would be no one to talk to Luna about Nargles and Wrackspurts and their involvement in her missing shoes and Ronald's behaviour. No one to scare away and yell at the Nargles for stealing her belongings. No one to help her with her Defence practical. No one for Luna to call a sister anymore.

Luna and Neville knew they weren't very good friends. They had continuously ignored Harriet's plight and instead pretended that everything was normal. They had not thought about asking if she was okay or if she wanted to sit or walk with them. They were selfish to their hero-complex friend and they wanted to change that. Muggle or Witch, Harriet Potter was and always will be their friend.

Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom were very, very quiet. But they had resolved to become better friends with Harriet even if it would cost them everything in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter - Dawn to Dusk  
> " I'm tired of you and everyone else telling me what to do and how to act."  
> "Maybe I'll visit."  
> "Ya don't trust Albus?"  
> "Shut up, you damned old hag!"
> 
> \-------
> 
> I have exams tomorrow hELP!! The only reason I uploaded this is procrastination //bows Congratulations on those that managed to guess who is who! I may have mixed up some answers but ehhhhh----
> 
> Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites and alerts! I really never expected it. So thank you very much!


	5. Dawn to Dusk

Harriet Anastasia Potter woke up in the infirmary. At first she felt very much in pain and very much disoriented. At first she thought that she had been in another Quidditch accident.

Then she remembered that there was no Quidditch this year. Then she remember _why_ exactly she felt in pain and disoriented. Hastily, she closed her eyes and tried very hard to feel for her magic.

Harriet Potter opened her eyes to stare up at the ceiling in wonder. She couldn't feel her magic anymore. She couldn't feel the constant thrum under her fingers anymore. She couldn't feel the surrounding magic of Hogwarts like she had always been able to do before.

She didn't have magic.

For a moment, a wave of grief washed through her. Magic had been a constant companion to her since she was a child. Healing her and keeping her warm. She had never truly been without magic. She felt so empty now. She felt alone.

More alone than she had ever felt before.

But, not really? Harriet could feel something nagging at the back of her mind. Something like a presence there that she had never noticed before.

However, before her thoughts could continue, she heard the door open and several voices come through.

"She is still asleep, Albus!" She could recognized Madam Pomfrey's voice from behind the curtains. "You shouldn't disturb her!"

"I understand that, Poppy. But I need to make sure that she is alright." Came Dumbledore's reply.

"I, for one, do not understand _why_ and _how_ you plan on diagnosing a _muggle._ " Harriet was surprised to hear Snape's voice. She could've sworn she could hear a hint of anger in the sentence. She just wasn't sure _what_ he was angry about.

"Now, now, Severus. There is nothing wrong with being a muggle--"

"Indeed there isn't!" Came Professor McGonagall. "She'll be heading home soon. There's no need to wake her up early!"

"Ah, but I believe she is already awake."

Silence came and Harriet sighed in exasperation. Slowly, she sat up in bed as the curtains were pulled back and Madam Pomfrey helped her rise up the hospital bed so that she could sit, leaning back.

Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Hermione and Ron surrounded her. She paid no mind to them, choosing instead to talk to Madam Pomfrey. "My back feels numb."

Madam Pomfrey pressed her lips together in barely suppressed anger. "I healed the bruises and applied numbing cream on your back. I tried to heal the scars but..."

Harriet shook her head. "It's fine. I knew it wouldn't heal."

The medi-witch tried to protest but Harriet sent her a pleading look and she reluctantly backed down. Smiling in thanks, she turned back towards her very much not wanted guests.

"Harry..." Dumbledore started. "You shouldn't have made such a rash decision."

Harriet did nothing but stare at him blankly. Then, she rolled her eyes, channelling her 'Inner-Sirius' "If you're going to just tell me about how I made such a hasty decision and how I should've talked to you first or how I should've confided in Ron or Hermione or anyone else, I suggest you leave because I'm not going to listen to it. I'm tired of you and everyone else telling me what to do and how to act."

McGonagall looked like she wanted to protest but shut her mouth at the last second. Snape looked oddly proud of her yet still a little guilty while her 'friends' looked at each other awkwardly. Harriet took sadistic pleasure in seeing that damn twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes dim slightly.

"My girl... Do you even understand what you will do after this?" Dumbledore asked, his tone patronizing her. McGonagall sent a quick glare at him that Harriet appreciated and thought that maybe her Head of House wasn't just a loyal follower of Dumbledore.

Harriet quirked an eyebrow at this. "What? Did you think I didn't plan on what I would do after I lost my magic, _Headmaster_?" She sneered a sneer worthy of Slytherin. "Aunt Petunia knows I would lose my magic and consented on letting me attend Smellings with Dudley. She even offered to pay for my tuition. She, at least, held true to her words of not accepting me unless I had no magic. And since I no longer have it, she is more than willing to take me in and protect me from Uncle Vernon and Dudley." She lied expertly. It was something she had actually practiced on and Serenity had praised her for her effort of lying that was worthy of a Slytherin.

She knew immediately from Snape's slight twitch of his lips that he didn't believe her at all. The others, however bought her lie easily.

Hermione opened her mouth next. "Harry. We-We want apologize." She said firmly and Ron nodded vigorously along with her. Harriet knew they meant it. They were truly repentant of their actions. She saw Dumbledore glance at them approvingly before turning to her as if he already knew she was going to forgive them.

They hadn't been there for her and they broke her trust in them completely. That was something she could never forget. She could forgive them. But forgiveness was nothing but empty words. People would always, _always_ do them again.

"I will forgive you." Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore and McGonagall looked relieved. Snape looked almost disappointed. She smirked darkly. "But I will not forget."

She watched as the relief in their eyes was washed away with an almost vindictive glee. "Forgiveness can always be given. Like I did during 2nd year after you accused me of turning into a Dark Witch. Like I did during 3rd year when you apologized for not believing me and not trusting me about Sirius. I will forgive you for not believing me and for saying those harsh words to me. I will _always_ forgive you. But I will _never_ forget the fact that you had completely shattered my trust in you. Never think for a moment that just because I forgive you, I will trust you again. Because I won't. I will never trust you like I did before. Perhaps I will never trust you ever again.

"From now on, I will always doubt what you say to me. I will always wonder if you genuinely care for me. I will always wonder if your words for me are true. I will always wonder if you will tell my secrets to others." She pinned them with a cold glare. "I may forgive you, Ronald Billius Weasley and Hermione Jean Granger. But I will never forget what you did. I will never forget how you made me feel betrayal."

She didn't need magic to know that she had utterly shocked the Gryffindors in the room. Snape was now a little wary of her reaction when _he_ apologizes. McGonagall was not sure if she wanted to apologize anymore if it meant being put under that cold glare with Lily's eyes. Madam Pomfrey only smiled sadly at the young girl in bed.

Deciding she had enough excitement for the day, Madam Pomfrey ordered Harriet to rest and shooed the rest out of the infirmary with her wand pointed threateningly at them. Harriet relaxed in her bed and stared at the white ceiling. Her lips curled into a wide smile.

Soon, freedom was near.

* * *

Screw not having magic. Sitting in bed doing  _absolutely nothing_ was boring.

For a while, Harriet wondered how she got through her 3 years when she was in the infirmary. Then, she promptly dismissed the thought when she remembered Hermione or Ron had always kept her company. She didn't and _wouldn't_ have them here now.

Several people had come to visit and apologize to her. Most had been Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors who came to apologize. But there were a few Ravenclaws that had hexed her and surprisingly, Slytherins that had come by as well, bearing sweets and small trinkets of get well soon gifts. There was a curious gift from a blonde Slytherin named Daphne Greengrass, though. Brochures to Muggle Schools in Europe that had a lot of squibs attending it. It made her wonder if Slytherin's Ice Queen knew her plans to escape the country.

Of everything she had expected to happen, she didn't think being a _Muggle_ would make Slytherins tolerate or even _like_ her enough to give her gifts... Yeah, she should probably ask Sirius or Dobby to look for curses on them.

Hagrid had come in bursting into tears and hugging her tightly, lifting her up from the bed in the process. Harriet had squeaked as she awkwardly patted the half-giant's arm in comfort and promised to stay in contact. He had continued to wail and cry and squeeze her until she felt like she couldn't breath before Madame Pomfrey came in and chased him out.

Harriet was never really angry at them, though. She was more angry at Ron and Hermione. The rest of the school didn't know her all that well, so she didn't really care about their opinion much. They did come with the other Gryffindors in an attempt to get back into her good graces though. So, points to them for persistence.

Snape, surprisingly dropped by with a very amused Blaise Zabini and snickering Theodore Nott and Tracey Davis. The three Slytherins had given her a book on Old Wizarding Culture, stating that even though she was a muggle, she was still an heiress to an Ancient and Noble House and thus had to read up to close that chasm in her knowledge. After a few sneers and playful insults, they left, leaving Snape to apologize in his own roundabout way without actually saying he was apologizing. Harriet had found herself hard pressed trying to stifle her laughter and nodded to his apology, not trusting herself to laugh at her former Potions Professor. He had then given her a picture frame with a photo of her mother during her childhood and rushed out before she had the chance to ask how he got it.

Cedric and Fleur's visits had been mildly entertaining though. Cedric had come after the first batch of Hufflepuffs had come to apologize to her for treating her like shit. He was twitchy and nervous that she very nearly grinned in amusement at him. It took everything she had not to outright laugh at him when he stuttered out an apology for not believing her and for not trying anything to stop the bullying she suffered at his housemate's hands.

After a few moments of silence and her newly found sadistic tendencies of making him twitch for awhile, she gave him the same response she gave the other Hufflepuffs. Harriet said that she forgave him and asked him to find out facts first before jumping to false conclusions and to look out for others who are being bullied at school.

Since she had given him forgiveness and something else he could concentrate on, which was what he needed after the blunder he had with her. Cedric had immediately latched onto the request and promised to look more closely on situations for now on and left with a lighter step.

Fleur on the other hand wasn't so easily fooled by her manipulations.

Being part Veela, she had her own fair share of experience to Harriet's barely practiced hand of manipulating people. She took one look at her with an amused air at her attempt, which was when the former witch knew the Veela wasn't falling for it, and changed topics instead. They spent a surprisingly pleasant time discussing Muggle fashion.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Fleur asked as she voluntarily checked Harriet's gifts for curses and jinxes or the like.

Harriet hummed in response as she opened the checked gifts. "I'm not sure I should tell you. Someone might pick it up after all." Oh look, Chocolate Frogs. Mm...

Fleur nodded once, showing she understood that someone of Harriet's former stature would have people interested in her affairs. That was definitely proven with the Daily Prophet. Which brought her to the real topic she wanted to breach.

"What will you do about 'ze reporterz? 'Ze Daily Prophet, waz it?" Fleur asked curiously.

Harriet shrugged at that. "No idea. I was hoping to deal with them sometime later once I have everything in order with my other businesses."

"Wizarding France is known for it'z kindness and interactionz with Muggles, you know."

Harriet paused in her movements and looked at Fleur who was busily waving her wand around a box of Bertie Bott's All Flavoured Beans. She watched her for a moment as she set the box down after making sure there were no curses and took another box of chocolates as she sent a sly glance at her.

Harriet smiled a little in thanks. "Maybe I'll visit."

* * *

 

It was nearly midnight of the day Sirius was supposed to arrive. Harriet had been resting in bed for 2 days now but it was nearly time for her to make her escape. Hopefully, Sirius would already be waiting for her in Hogsmead.

That morning had been filled with nothing but jittery, excited moments. She toned it down around Dumbledore of course, but that didn't stop her excitement of seeing Sirius that night. Madam Pomfrey had looked at her curiously but she seemed resigned to something. The kind nurse had ensured her that she would be released today and gave her a tight hug saying that she would miss such a troublemaker landing in her infirmary so often.

It was the first sign someone on the staff knew she was leaving that night. The second was probably Snape shoving a bag of potions via an amused Blaise to her. The third was Professor Flitwilk giving her a small stack of photos of her parents time of schooling that he had. Professor McGonagall looked older than usual when she visited her in the infirmary and then proceeded to sit down and talk about her parents.

It was the first time she had heard stories about her parents lives during their schooling in Hogwarts from any of the professors. It was nice. She was able to get a few memories of her parents and she knew although Professor McGonagall didn't show it much, that she did care for her Gryffindors. It was in the tight hug the old professor gave her and the soft apology about not doing it sooner that brought her to near tears.

What surprised her the most was Professor Moody's visit to her right before she left the infirmary. At first it was just the common pleasantries, but then he started asking what she thought about Dark Magic.

Her first thought was that he was spying for Dumbledore. But a feeling at the back of her mind told her that wasn't it. That while he was indeed spying, it was not for Dumbledore. So, deciding to take a chance, she trusted her newfound instincts and told him truthfully what she thought about the Dark Arts.

She told him about how she found casting Dark Spells were easier for her than casting Light or Neutral spells. She told him she took more time trying to cast a Patronus Charm than she did casting a dark curse of the same level. Obviously, she didn't tell him where exactly she practiced casting Dark Magic.

"What will 'yer do now that 'yer a muggle, lad?" Moody asked her.

Harriet looked at him suspiciously for a while. "Will you tell Dumbledore if I tell you?"

Moody had quirked a jerky eyebrow at her. "Ya don't trust Albus?" A hint of curiosity was hinted in his tone.

Harriet raised an eyebrow, silently asking him if he was really asking that question when she already implied that she didn't want Dumbledore to know. Moody had simply chuckled at her and praised her for her constant vigilance.

Not wanting to take a risk, "If you really want to know, you must swear to me that you will tell not tell Dumbledore." She knew there was a lot of leeway in the vow - he could tell anyone not Dumbledore, but she figured she would take a chance while looking like she was giving none.

Moody simply nodded and gave his word. Harriet slumped against her bed, thinking on what she should say. "Sirius is coming to Hogsmead tonight. He's innocent, by the way. Pettigrew framed Sirius for killing the Muggles and betraying my parents. He's going to come with me to Gringotts to finalized whatever I need and then we're heading to Germany so that Sirius can get a trial there. After that, we'll pick a place to stay permanently. Probably France since I've always wanted to live there, plus Fleur said they had good relations with the Muggles so it would be easier for me to find a tutor and get schooling. And then we'll settle down. I'll go to Muggle school and Sirius will either find a job to occupy his time or live off our inheritance." She said. It honestly sounded simple but she knew there were various headaches that would come her way.

Plus she didn't think Dumbledore would take her leaving Britain with the Potter and Black fortune very well.

Moody was silent for a while before he finally spoke again. "Albus's been hinting that the Dark Lord's been tryin' to return... If he does return, what will 'ya do?"

Harriet blinked once. Twice. And then she blinked again, groaned and raised a hand to her head to nurse her growing headache. "Oh Hecate, I never even  thought about Voldemort."

Moody on the other hand looked at her in disbelief. "You _forgot_ that the Dark Lord was after 'yer 'ead!?"

Harriet winced at the thought. "I was only thinking about leaving the country. And honestly after everything that's happened, I'll be glad to leave it. I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to care about what happens if Voldemort comes back. If he wants to rule magical Britain, then let him! As long as he leaves Sirius, Remus and I alone, I don't care what he does... Not that I have anything to stop him with anyway."

After that, Moody had left in a haste and she had been left to her own devices. Which meant sneakily packing her trunk and asking Dobby to pop it out of Hogwarts wards and into Hogsmead.

When everyone was fast asleep in the dormitory, she quickly put on her Invisibility Cloak and slipped out Gryffindor Tower. She thanked all Magic for her father's interest in making the perfect prank without getting caught because it had made him think of the Marauders Map. She had got it back from Remus before getting on the train for the summer. It was dead useful for sneaking around the halls at night without getting caught.

Hastily, Harriet made her way to the third floor and to the statue of the humpbacked witch. It was one of the few secret corridors to Hogsmead. It would lead her directly to the cellar of Honeydukes so she hoped there was no one around at this time there to catch her.

Quietly, she slipped through the tight fit of the entrance and practically ran all the way to Hogsmead. Her heart beating wildly in her chest in anticipation of meeting her godfather again and fear of being caught and brought back to the castle. Her legs ran as fast as they could carry her. Her breaths coming in short pants as her grip on the cloak tightened.

Arriving at the hidden door to Honeydukes, she carefully and slowly opened it. Peeking out, she smiled in relief when she saw no signs of life in the cellar. Quietly tip-toeing up to the shop, she kept an eye and ear out for anyone who might still be awake. But it was nearly midnight and no one was there. Once out of Honeydukes, she warily looked around. Half-expecting Dumbledore to have caught her escaping.

When no signs of life greeted her as she came out of the shop, she nearly laughed in glee but kept it down. Everything had went on too easily for her and she was half-afraid something might get messed up. As Moody always says: "Constant Vigilance!"

Slowly, she walked towards the forest behind Honeydukes. They had never decided on a place to meet but she knew this was the place. It was where she had met Sirius in his Animagus form face to face the first time back in third year.

Nervously, she sat on the wet grass and leant against a tree. Looking up, she stared in awe at the brilliant show of lights the stars provided her in the night sky. She had never really looked at the night sky before. Normally, she would be talking to her dorm mates, focusing too much on specific stars during Astronomy class or sleeping. She never realized how pretty the sky looked at night with all the stars decorating it. She had never really paid attention during Astronomy, but now that she could stop and pay attention to the world around her, she regretted never really paying attention in class anymore.

A bright star to the north caught her attention and she smiled brightly when she recognized the only star she bothered to remember.

"Sirius..."

"Hey, pup."

Jerking, she stood up too quickly making her legs tangle. An arm shot out to grab her arm and steady her before she fell.

"Easy there, pup. I know you're excited to see me, but don't go stumbling all over the place." Sirius grinned at her, happiness practically oozing from him.

Harriet stared for a moment at her godfather before she felt a multitude of emotions wash over her. Happiness, relief, sadness, anger, and other emotions quickly flitting across her face. Sirius caught sight of her slightly wet eyes, and immediately pulled his goddaughter in for a hug. Harriet sniffled and cried into Sirius's chest, her fists grabbing onto his back wanting to feel the warmth of the only person who actually cared for her since the beginning.

As he held his crying goddaughter in his arms, Sirius was reminded of why he had escaped Azkaban. He had escaped to find Pettigrew to make sure the rat didn't get anywhere near his goddaughter. He had escaped to find a way to get justice so he could hold, comfort and be the godfather he hadn't been to Harriet. As she wept silently with her arms almost crushing him for comfort, Sirius was never more thankful for being alive.

He had lost his best friend and brother in everything but blood that night 14 years ago. Because of his hasty ill-thought actions, he had nearly lost his goddaughter a few days after as well.

But he was here now. He would protect Prongs and Lily's little girl like his own daughter. His mother was always harping that he and Regulus needed to find pureblood wives and have pureblood children anyway. He doubted the time he spent in Azkaban hadn't affected his ability to have children, so having Harriet as the Black's heir was like killing two birds with one stone.

"Ana?" Sirius called the girl when she suddenly sagged against him.

"'m tired..." Came Harriet's muffled reply.

Sirius chuckled in response. "Well, I need you to grab on tight. I'm going to apparate us somewhere safe to stay for the night before we talk about what else we need to do."

"Dobby..."

Sirius bit back a smile. The crazed house elf Harriet was always telling him about was definitely better than Kreacher at least. "We'll call him once we get to a safe place."

Harriet only nodded and grabbed onto Sirius tightly as he apparated them to London. Standing in front of rows of townhouses, he mentally winced at the memory of the place.

"Where are we...?" Harriet asked as she looked around.

"I need you to remember what I say to you and keep it mind okay?" At Harriet's hesitant nod, he smiled a little. So cautious with new magic, just like Lily had been. "The Black Ancestral Home is located at No 12, Grimmauld Place."

Harriet rolled the sentence in her head a few times. Then she heard creaking and moving of gates and bricks. Her eyes widened in astonishment as the townhouse buildings moved to revealed another townhouse of similar design. The townhouse looked older that the others and even though she could no longer feel magic, a shiver ran through her spine just imagining the amount of Dark Magic rolling off the place like waves.

The two slowly entered the house. Harriet winced at the dusty and old house. It was _filthy_. She wasn't exactly neat herself, but even she wouldn't be able to live in a house this dirty.

Sirius nearly laughed at the look on Harriet's face. He knew that look anywhere. It was the same look James had when he found something he absolutely didn't like. Which was usually when Snape was talking to Lily.

"It's... Cozy." Harriet soon said, her face scrunched up in disgust making Sirius lose it and laugh.

At that moment, there was a bang and the curtain on a portrait near the staircase swished open.

And then, the screaming began.

"STAIN OF MY HONOUR AND A FILTHY SQUIB HALF-BREED! HOW DARE YOU ENTER THE HOUSE OF MY ANCESTORS!"

Harriet clasped her hands over her ears to block the screeching of the woman in the portrait. For all her time spent talking to Serenity Slytherin, she never imagined a portrait having such lung power.

"Shut up, you damned old hag!" Sirius bellowed back as he quickly shoved the curtains closed.

It was silent between the two for a while. "So... Was that...?" Harriet trailed off hesitantly. The 'stain of my honour' was a little hint to who the woman in the portrait was.

Sirius grimaced."Yeah. My _dearest_ mother." He said sarcastically.

Harriet giggled. "She has a _wonderful_ personality." She drawled in the same tone.

Sirius stared at the barely 14 year old girl before bursting out laughing. Harriet smiled widely at Sirius's laughing form before joining him. The atmosphere in the old, dark, dreary house seemed almost bearable now with laughter ringing through its halls.

Soon the laughter died down and Sirius tugged Harriet towards the dining room. Like the rest of the house, it was decorated with peeling green wallpapers and dark green wooden panelling. In the middle sat a long 12-seater dining table with old cushions in Slytherin green. Several dressers lined the walls and on top of them were china pieces with insignias of some sort of crest. Harriet looked up to see an small elaborate chandelier in the centre of the ceiling dimly lit, but was bright enough to light the whole room adequately.

Sirius mockingly pulled a chair out for her and she sat down with a curtsy and a soft giggle. Sirius sat down next to her and the two sat in silence for a moment. Harriet awkwardly twiddling with her fingers on the table while Sirius stared down at his own hands, neither sure how to start such an important conversation.

Old as he was, Sirius had spent 12 years in Azkaban. Stunting his mental and emotional growth severely that he _knew_ he still thought like the 23 year old he was before everything had happened. Sirius knows he was childish and like every Gryffindor, he knows he never really think through his decisions. This wasn't something he could just jump into and improvise and hope for the best. This was his little goddaughter's future and he wasn't willing to risk _anything_.

Harriet was still young. Barely fourteen and already she has gone through events no other child would have survived. She was brave and smart. She was rash, yes. But she still took the time to think through things when time allowed it. Harriet was mature, but it was a forced maturity on how to survive rather than maturing wisely. It was a maturity Sirius wanted to take away so that he could coddle the girl but he knew he couldn't.

Harriet had lived with such a high maturity level for nearly 14 years now. If he took that away, she wouldn't know what to do with herself.

"So." Sirius started and Harriet raised her green eyes to him. For a moment, Sirius's mind wandered to the past. The green of Harriet's eyes reminded him of the green from the _Avada Kadavra_ curse. The green that had killed so many Aurors and Order members. The green that had killed James and Lily. He shook his head lightly, pushing those thoughts from his mind and met his goddaughter's eyes steadily. "Tell me everything."

Harriet hesitated for a moment before clenching her eyes shut and taking a deep breath. She opened them soon after and met his own grey eyes with resigned determination. Opening her mouth, she told him of her life with Petunia, her husband and her cousin. She told him about the abuse she suffered at their hands.

She told him about getting her letter and Hagrid taking her shopping in Diagon Alley. She told him of how she met Ron and Hermione. She told him of how she got on the Quidditch team in her first year. She told him about her Parseltongue ability and of practicing Dark Magic. She told him about the Marauders Map and the Invisibility Cloak. She told him all the happy moments in her life since she went to Hogwarts that made her smile.

But she also told him of all the horrors she faced in her life ever since she went to Hogwarts. She told him about the Daily Prophet and the insensitivity. She told him about the stares and judging. She told him about the troll, the three-headed dog, the Devil's Snare, the huge chess game and facing a wraith Voldemort. She told him about the distrust and abandonment. She told him about the Basilisk and the start of her distrust in everything. She told him about how she heard her mother's screams, her pleads and cries to spare her whenever a Dementor came too close. She told him about how she had been so scared throughout her 3 years in school. She told him how scared she had been when facing death in the face again and again. She told him how terrified she was whenever people expected her to go save someone or to do something. She was terrified when she thought she had lost him last year. She was terrified of being hurt and betrayed again. She was terrified of being alone. She was terrified of being someone she wasn't.

By the end of her tale, she was sniffling with tears pooling in her eyes. She had never told anyone everything that had happened in her life. Her pent up feelings of frustration bubbled up to the surface and her shoulders shook from trying to reign in her sobs. Sirius only stared at her painfully for a moment before bringing her into his arms and hugging her tightly as she cried against him again. He stroked her hair, whispering encouraging words in her ear and she responded with dying sniffles and a tighter embrace. The two rocked in the small ornate chair, comforting the other. Thankful to everything out there that _finally,_ everything was going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You didn't think I was going to let you go to Gringotts by yourself did you?"  
> "Do you want me to open it?"  
> "I never hated you. I just... You reminded me of how much of a bad sister I was."  
> "I'll always be with you."
> 
> \- Plot bunnies do not help finishing a story. The next chapter may take awhile since I'm trying to finalize the whole damned plot... Well, that and I've been watching Vampire Diaries and procrastinating so ehhh-- I'm so sorry for the late updates.


	6. Chapter Five: Dusk to Dawn

Harriet was having the greatest sleep she had in _years_. She felt warm and safe and no dreams haunted her. There was still that lingering presence at the back of her mind, but she didn't feel any sort of danger from it. If anything, it was a warm presence that comforted her and reminded her about how her missing magic used to comfort her. Sighing contently, she snuggled into her pillow and tightened her arms around it.

A soft amused chuckle and a hand shaking her shoulder started to bring her out of her blissful sleep. Recognizing the deep tone and not wanting to get up just yet, Harriet burrowed her face deeper into her pillow with a mumble of five more minutes. From the back of her consciousness, she could hear more chuckles that practically leaked with amusement. But she was too sleepy to care.

That is until the source of the chuckles grabbed her blanket and yanked it off her. Harriet squeaked at the cold air suddenly attacking her legs and arms. She hastily got up and glared at a grinning Sirius who was quite obviously trying to reign in his laughter.

"Sirius!" Harriet screeched and threw her pillow at his face.

Sirius merely laughed as he dodged the projectile aimed at his face. He grinned broadly at her as she glared harder and huffed in annoyance. He felt a sense of déjà vu as Harriet got off the bed. Her reactions were scarily similar to James during Hogwarts that Sirius wondered where she learned it. It could be genetics that Lily had always ranted about, but he never imagined genetics would go down to the smallest mannerisms.

He could see both James and Lily in Harriet. Not just their appearance, but their littlest quirks as well. Her glare, the way she walked and talked. The way her eyes lit up when she discovered something new. It was all a mix of James and Lily even though he knew the girl had never really known her parents enough to imitate them.

"It's already 10, pup." Sirius stated. "Dobby came over and dropped off your stuff and told me about your meeting with Gringotts." At Harriet's widened eyes, he knew she had forgotten about it. "I know the meeting's going to take a long time, so I woke you up with enough time for you to take a shower and eat something before we go."

Harriet blinked at Sirius. "We?"

Sirius grinned. "You didn't think I was going to let you go to Gringotts by yourself did you?"

"But Siri- "

"No buts." Sirius interrupted. "I know I'm a wanted man but Gringotts is Neutral ground. How did you think I bought that Firebolt for you last year? The ministry can't do anything as long as I'm in there. If they do, they'll be at risk at another Goblin Rebellion."

Harriet bit her lip nervously. Even though Gringotts was Neutral ground; what about all the wizards and witches that would be there? Any of them could see Sirius and report him to the Ministry.

Sirius bit back a smile at Harriet's nervous tick.  It was another one of Lily's traits that she had inherited. "It's okay, pup." Sirius started, bringing her attention back to him. "Whenever Gringotts makes an appointment for someone of an Ancient and Noble House, the port key they give you would lead directly to their inside office. No one will see us and we can ask permission to apparate from there too when we go back."

Harriet calmed down slightly and gave a nod. Then, she grinned teasingly. "When did you start using your brain, Padfoot? Moony always told me you acted first, think later."

"Since the last time I did it, I got sent to Azkaban."

Harriet's grin turned into a deep frown as she flinched. She turned her head to the side guiltily. "I'm sorry..."

Sirius shook his head and grasped her shoulders, making her turn back to him. "It's okay, pup. I'm here now and I'm going to try my damned hardest to be here for both of us, yeah?"

Harriet slowly smiled and nodded. Sirius grinned in return. "Now, you need to shower! Dobby brought some bread for us to munch on. We can go for lunch after Gringotts, yeah?"

As Harriet watched Sirius exit the room, she couldn't help but feel that being woken up, being reminded gently of things and sharing these warm family moments were the best memories she'd had in a while. And she wasn't going to let it go.

* * *

 

Harriet nervously fidgeted as she munched on the sandwich Dobby had made for them. It was almost noon and they were port keying to Gringotts in a few minutes. She was still worried that someone inside the bank was going to report Sirius and she didn't want to lose him. She was worried about what she was going to do about Dumbledore stealing from her accounts. She was worried about what they were going to do once everything was over and done with.

"Don't think too much, pup. You'll hurt your brain."

Pouting, Harriet glared at Sirius. The last Black merely grinned teasingly as he fanned the small card port key in his hand. After freshening up, meeting Kreacher (the crazy house-elf that an even crazier Dobby had accused of being a traitor to all house elf for daring to hurt his new master), silencing Madam Walburga's portrait and eating a late breakfast, the two had sat down and talked about what they were going to do after Gringotts.

"We're definitely going to Germany first." Harriet had said, her voice strong and determined. "I don't want you to keep on hiding forever in your Animagus form."

"We're going to have to figure out a way to get there without notifying anyone. I can slip into the international train in my Animagus form. We're also going to have to figure out how to get Germany's Ministry to listen to us." Sirius groaned. He hated covert operations and dealing with stuck up politicians.

"... Do you think Remus will want to come with us?" Harriet asked quietly.

Sirius hesitated. For everything he knew about Remus, he knew the werewolf was loyal to Dumbledore. Harriet had already expressed her growing distrust of the old headmaster and he wasn't sure if Remus was with them or against them in this.

"... We'll see once we get back from Gringotts, pup. For now, better swallow the last of that sandwich. It's a minute to 12." Sirius said hastily.

Harriet nodded and hurriedly finished her sandwich. Taking a deep breath, she reluctantly held the little card in Sirius's hand as well and prepared herself for an uncomfortable ride.

"Ready?" Sirius asked, looking away from the Tempus spell he casted and Harriet nodded firmly. "Three... Two... One!"

Immediately, Harriet felt that uncomfortable tug and the feeling of being pushed around in a tight washing machine. Seconds later, she was stumbling in a Gringotts office. Sirius barely managed to steady her before she could barrel into a goblin that was waiting for them.

Harriet felt awfully sick. It seemed now that she didn't have magic, using a port key seemed even worse than before. Leaning on Sirius, she took deep breaths and let them out slowly.

"Come one, pup. Deep breathes. That's it. You okay now?" Sirius asked, worry thick in his voice. Port keying was indeed an uncomfortable way of travel especially when you didn't have magic to help buffer the effects.

Harriet took a few minutes to calm her stomach before nodding weakly, still feeling a little sick. "I'm fine..." She said to Sirius before turning to the goblin that was somewhat familiar.

It took her a few moments to figure it out, but she did and she smiled at the goblin. "Merry meet, Griphook."

Both Sirius and Griphook seemed surprised at this. Sirius because he didn't expect Harriet to know about the formal greetings of the Olde Ways and Griphook because no goblin would ever expect a witch or wizard to remember their names or to greet him using the Olde Ways. After a few minutes of silence, Harriet grew increasingly worried.

"Uhh... Did I say that wrong? I'm so sorry if I offended you, I- uh, I just read a book about Goblin customs and the Olde Ways- I-I'm sorry." Harriet rambled, apologizing and bowing her head feeling a little worried.

Griphook shook himself out of his stupor at the apologizing former-witch. "It is fine, Miss Potter. I... I just did not expect you to remember my name. We Goblins look a lot alike so it is rare for wizards to remember us individually." He said, feeling a little fondness grow for the young girl.

Harriet smiled in relief. "I'm so glad. Thank you, Griphook."

"You're welcome, Miss Potter." Griphook smiled, which made Sirius gape in shock. He had never seen a Goblin _smile_ unless they were telling you that you were in debt! "Now, your meeting is in the another room. However we did not expect you, Lord Black. " He said, turning to Sirius.

"I wasn't about to let Ana go through this herself. And I need to see to my accounts anyway. Both of us will be leaving the country as soon as possible." Sirius said. "Do you mind calling the Black family's account Manager once Ana is done?"

"Of course, Lord Black." Griphook agreed. "For now, follow me please."

Sirius and Harriet were led out the room and into a long corridor that reminded Harriet of an old palace. The walls were white in colour with rosewood panelling. Portraits of goblins as well as several antique looking still paintings lined the walls. She looked on in fascination as they walked. She had never been in Gringotts since her first year and it was fun to see a completely different and surprisingly welcoming place from the intimidating front counters.

Griphook led them to a large door at the end of the corridor. A gold plate with the engravings _Director Ragnok_ hung on one side of the dark wood. "I will be accompanying you as temporary manager of the Potter accounts. The last manager had passed on and without the heir or head of house, no other goblin was appointed as the new manager. You may appoint one later on once your business is finished."

Harriet barely had much time to process what Griphook had said before the door opened and they were asked to come in.

Sirius, even when he became Lord Black, had never met the Director of Gringotts. He had heard rumours of course. That the Director was the oldest Goblin in Gringotts and that he was ruthless with wizards. There were rumours that he was the general that led the Goblins in the last rebellion of 1759. And seeing the Director face to face, Sirius wondered if there were actually some truths to those rumours.

Director Ragnok was more intimidating than most other goblins, but to Harriet, there was a lingering touch of kindness that she could see so clearly. It was obvious from the guarded eyes that the Goblin was old and had faced many of the world's horror. She could only shudder at the thought of it. Wizards weren't very kind to anyone who was a magical creature. Even Fleur, who was only a quarter Veela had looks of disgust from amongst the crowd of sheep.

Feeling nervous, Harriet stepped up and curtsied to the goblin. "Merry meet, Director Ragnok."

Sirius wanted to sigh and smile at the same time. Always so polite, even to magical creatures, just like Lily was even though she had not studied the Olde Ways. He debated on not greeting the Director but dismissed the idea. He could just hear Lily and Harriet say something about how a little politeness could go a long way. And so he too bowed slightly, feeling a little bewildered that he was actually making use of the Olde Ways his mother had taught him. "Merry meet, Director Ragnok."

Director Ragnok raised a hairless eyebrow at this. It was rare to find a pair of witch and wizard politely greeting Goblins with the Olde Ways. When he had first received Harriet Potter's letter, he had been shocked at the rarely seen greeting as well, but the contents of that letter had overshadowed it. Seeing it now though brought a slight smile to the old Goblin's lips. It made him remember just why the first Goblins of Gringotts had agreed to open a _Wizarding_ bank.

"Merry meet, Miss Potter and Lord Black." The Director greeted them back. He raised a hand and conjured two comfortable seats. "Please, sit. Griphook, bring all documents for the Potter accounts." He ordered Griphook.

As Griphook left, Ragnok pushed his current paperwork aside and summoned tea for them. "Now Miss Potter. As per the letter you had sent us, we must first discuss all of the assets and vaults you have inherited. After that, we may discuss about what you wish to do about Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore?" Sirius questioned and Harriet stiffened. Sirius shook his head and patted Harriet's head. "No more secrets, pup. I'm here for you."

Harriet hesitated but nodded. "Dumbledore... Dumbledore has been stealing from my trust vault."

"What?!" Sirius shouted, anger rising. "Since when?!"

"Since Lord and Lady Potter's passing, Lord Black." Ragnok said coldly. "He had also removed several items from the vault. Unfortunately, we are unable to retrieve them because of his status as your magical guardian, Miss Potter."

"How did Dumbledore become your magical guardian anyway?" Sirius asked, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "James made me your first choice for a guardian. I know Remus is on that list of potential guardians as well."

"Indeed, you were the first choice, Lord Black. Mr. Remus Lupin was their third choice. However, a day before Lord and Lady Potter’s deaths, Dumbledore sealed their will." Ragnok said, and snapped his fingers. A rolled up scroll of parchment with a ribbon securing it appeared in front of Harriet. "That is your parents will. Just prick your finger on the seal and the blood will unseal it."

Slowly, Harriet took the parchment out of the air and stared at the wax seal securing the ribbon. It was a crest shaped seal and even though she never saw it before, she knew it was Dumbledore's seal as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. There was a tiny needle in the centre of the seal and she pricked her finger on it. Her blood was absorbed into the seal and dissolved it, leaving a neat knot of the ribbon.

Harriet hesitated for a moment. This was her parents’ last will and testaments. This was their last wish for her and all those they cared for. This was their last thoughts before facing death. Without noticing it, she had started to tremble and biting her lip in nervousness. Sirius put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her into a tight hug against him.

"Do you want me to open it?" He asked quietly. Ragnok only watched quietly. This was a family moment and he had no business interrupting it.

Harriet shook her head. "No. I'll open it. I... I need to." She said, biting her bottom lip nervously. Slowly, she untied the ribbon and let it fall on her lap. Taking a deep breath, she unrolled the parchment.

_We, James Charlus Potter and Lily Marigold Potter née Evans, being of sound mind and body and not acting under any duress or undue influence, do declare this our Last Will and Testament, rendering all others null and void._

_We hereby give custody over our beloved daughter, Harriet Anastasia Potter, born on the 31st of July, 1980, to the following person(s) until she is of age. Should our first choice be unavailable to take on custody of her, other choices shall be listed by preference:_

_Our first choice is Sirius Orion Black, our daughter's godfather by the Laws of the Olde. Don't be an idiot, grow up and take care of her, Padfoot._

_Second is Alice Marie Longbottom née Fortescue, our daughter's godmother by the Laws of the Olde. We're sorry for breaking our promise to celebrate our children's birthdays' together and we hope our children will grow up together as close as blood siblings._

_Third is to Remus John Lupin, closest personal friend of the family. Werewolf or not does not matter. You're Ana's favourite Uncle and we know you'll do everything that is possible to protect and care for her._

_Fourth is to Andromeda Dorea Tonks née Black, our favourite cousin by bond. We know family is important to you and we know you love Ana as much as we love her, so please protect her to the best of your abilities._

_Fifth is to Severus Tobias Snape, Lily's most trusted friend. James had been unkind to you in his youth and both of us apologize and forgive you for everything that has happened. We trust you, even though you're a Death Eater, to protect our daughter. As Lily’s best friend._

_If none of the above are available to take on custody of our daughter, a secondary list has been made and left with the Potter's Account Manager._

_As a last resort, legal guardianship shall be given to Petunia Yarrow Dursley nee Evans, Lily's blood sister and magical guardianship shall be given to Minerva Anne McGonagall._

_We hereby give and bequest our assets and belongings to the following,_

_To Sirius O. Black, we give you 50,000 Galleons and The Marauders Journals._

_To Alice M. Longbottom, we give you 50,000 Galleons and ownership of the Peverell Herbologist Centre in Switzerland._

_To Remus J. Lupin, we give you 100,000 Galleons and the Marauder's Den in Edinburgh, Scotland._

_To Andromeda D. Tonks, we give you 100,000 Galleons and Potter Cottage in Godric's Hallow._

_To Minerva A. McGonagall, we give you 80,000 Galleons and James's Journals on Animagus Transformations._

_To Petunia Y. Dursley, should custody of our daughter be given to you, we bequest £1,000 a month to you for her daily expenses and needs as well as her wants._

_Finally, to our beloved and cherished daughter, Harriet A. Potter, we give you the trust vault in which 5,000 Galleons is to be deposited bimonthly into it from the Potter Family Vault. Once you are of age, we give you everything of the Potter Estate including all vaults in Gringotts, properties in various countries, family heirlooms in both vaults and properties and all other assets under the Potter name and blood. When you are of age, you will inherit 2 seats in the House of Lords of the Wizengamot and a seat in the International Confederation of Wizards under the Peverall name. We name you heiress to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and when you come of age, you shall be given the title of Lady Potter._

_Dearest Ana, days after you were born, we received a message that you would grow up to do great things. That you would change the Wizarding World and its views. It seemed a little too much, but we believed in it. You're a very special girl, Ana. With or without magic, you will always be special. To both of us and to the people around you. So change the world, little Prongslet. We know you can do it. We love you, Harriet Anastasia Potter with all our hearts. And we hope you'll grow up and live happily as we have._

_On this 18th of October, 1981, in Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Diagon Alley, City of London, Great Britain, we hereby sign this document as our true Last Will and Testament._

_Lord James Charlus Potter & Lady Lily Marigold Potter née Evans_

_As witnessed by_

_Sirius Orion Black & Lady Alice Marie Longbottom née Fortescue_

Harriet didn't even notice the tears falling down her cheeks until Sirius was in front of her and crushing her to him, stroking her hair and murmuring encouragements to her. Overwhelmed, she cried once again into Sirius's chest.

Her parents loved her. She always knew that but to have a message written by them saying it was a whole lot different. She had only heard from others that they loved her. She had only been able to believe it from their actions of sacrifice for her life. She had never, even once heard her parents tell her they loved her.

Even though she could not hear them say it themselves, reading it in their own writing was enough for her.

It took a few minutes, but Harriet got herself together. Her parents loved her and she was happy knowing it. For now, she had to concentrate on what was going to happen from now on.

"You okay, pup?" Sirius murmured, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Harriet could only nod in response and took deep breaths to calm herself. Sirius wiped away her tears with a sad smile as she put herself together. It had barely been half an hour in Gringotts and she was already tired from everything.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she turned to Ragnok. "How much exactly has Dumbledore been stealing from me?"

As if on cue, Griphook returned with a thick wad of files and deposited it on the table in front of Sirius and Harriet. Immediately, Sirius opened the file and read through it, Harriet reading beside him. As he read on and flipped the pages, Sirius grew angrier and Harriet grew paler as she bit her bottom lip and an effort to not shout and scream in frustration.

Gravely, Ragnok sighed. "We have done a full audit on your accounts, Miss Potter. As you can see, Dumbledore had made quarterly withdrawals of 910 Galleons since 1982. 40,040 Galleons in total since then has been deposited into his personal vault. There were several items in your trust vault that was left by your parents. However, your invisibility cloak was removed in December of 1981 after we sent an account statement to him in that month." He paused and let the two absorb this. Harriet was clutching her seat tightly and Sirius had placed the papers down to run a hand through his hair. "A month before you first visited Gringotts, he withdrew all items not of monetary value in your trust vault."

"What were those items?" Sirius asked.

"Several." Ragnok said, almost sagging in his seat. "Letters from the late Lord and Lady Potter, journals of new spells that Lady Potter was working on or had finished, picture albums, trunks, trinkets, toys and books."

Harriet groaned. "Is there any way I can get those back?"

"Unfortunately, no. With his status as your 'legal' magical guardian, he had the 'right' to withdraw from your vaults. Unless you are willing to confront him, I am afraid you are unable to retrieve those items." Griphook said, looking extremely regretful.

"But we can stop him from withdrawing anything else, right?" Harriet asked.

At this, Ragnok nodded. "As Lord Black is your Godfather as dictated by the Olde Ways, he is able to take control of your accounts and vaults and ban Dumbledore from them. It will not matter that in the eyes of the public, he is a criminal. According to magic, he is your legal and magical guardian and no other witch or wizard, no matter how powerful they are can protest to that. The vaults magic will obey yours and your Godfather's will."

Harriet sighed in relief and Sirius squeezed her shoulder in comfort. "That's one hurdle out of the way."

"Could we have a list of all our accounts, vaults, properties and all those other stuff?" Sirius asked and turned to Harriet who looked at him curiously. "Best look for a place to stay. Either at one of yours or my estates."

As Harriet nodded in agreement, Ragnok called for a Goblin named Sharptooth, who was the account manager for the House of Blacks. A few minutes later, another Goblin entered the room with another thick file.

"Merry Meet, Lord Black." Sharptooth greeted. "I am Sharptooth, the account manager for all your vaults and estates." He said and opened the file that he had set on the table as Griphook did the same. "This is the list of all vaults and properties in your name."

Curiously, Harriet leaned over to Sirius as he picked up the papers. Her eyes widened more and more as she read on the amount of money and properties her godfather possessed.

Harriet blinked rapidly. "Oh... Wow. That's a lot of houses..."

Sirius chuckled. "My family's been around for a long time and we liked to show off a lot."

Harriet nodded and picked up her own papers. Leaning back, she read what was in her possession, her eyes widening in disbelief as she read on. Her heart clenched in frustration. She had all this money and other people who could've taken care of her, but she _still_ ended up with Petunia. She could've grown up next to Neville!

"I still can't believe I own all of this... And that I could've lived with Neville..." She muttered angrily, her lips pursed in frustration.

Sirius paused at this, his lips scrunched up into a thoughtful frown. "I... I think we should visit Petunia after this, Ana."

At the sudden statement, Harriet froze and quickly turned to him. "Why?"

Sirius hesitated. "When... When you told me that Petunia... Hated you. That she abused you. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know her that well but Lily had told me enough that led me to believe that at the very least, she would've taken care of you physically. Lily and Petunia were close siblings when they were younger, Ana. That kind of bond doesn't just go away just because you drifted apart and argue a lot because you live in different worlds and don't approve of what the other does with their life."

Harriet bit her lip. "Then why did she...?"

"I don't know, Ana. But I think we should go see her before we leave Britain." Sirius said softly.

Harriet stayed quiet for a while before stiffly nodding her head in agreement. Her mind was reeling from the knowledge Sirius had revealed to her.

“If I may,” The Goblin Director interrupted. “If you are trying to leave the country undetected, I would suggest a port key from Gringotts.”

“I thought port keys were regulated by the ministry.” Sirius wondered.

Sharptooth sneered. “Port keys made from Wizard Magic are regulated. Goblins sell Goblin Magic made port keys that the ministry _cannot_ regulate.”

“It would be a violation of the treaty if they tried.” Griphook quipped nastily.

“We merely ask of you to keep this information to yourself, Lord Black and Miss Potter.” Ragnok cautioned. “We owe you for allowing Dumbledore do as he pleased with your gold and that is considered a grave mistake to our kind. We offer you a way to escape this country undetected by Dumbledore and the Ministry to right this wrong.”

“Thank you, Director.” Sirius slumped in his seat, relieved to have found a way to get them away from Britain safely.

Harriet stayed quiet for a few moments before standing and approaching the old Goblin.

“I never blamed Gringotts or any of the Goblins for what Dumbledore did. You assumed, like anyone else that I knew what Dumbledore was doing. Anyone would make that mistake because a guardian is supposed to have your best interest at heart. While I don’t know what Dumbledore’s actions mean, I do not put the blame on you.” At this she smiled. “Everyone makes mistakes; Muggle, Wizard or Goblin. I don’t believe in segregation, Director Ragnok. I believe in unity and understanding between everyone, no matter our race or beliefs. I accept the port key because I know refusing would be an insult to you, no matter how much I think that it is unnecessary since it is not your fault. And I respect you, your kind and all you have done for the Wizarding World and by extension, the Muggle World as well.”

The three Goblins in the room stared at the young girl. Several emotions flitted through their very bodies; none of them knew how to respond to her. Sirius watched with a strange smile on his face. Harriet continued smiling kindly at the Goblins before setting back and curtsied.

“Blessed be, Goblins of Gringotts for your offer which we honourably accept.”

Very slowly, a smile stretched on Director Ragnok’s face; a genuinely happy and fond smile. “You have a bright path in front of you, Miss Potter. We look forward to the changes you shall bring to this era. Griphook will bring you the port key once you have finished your business here. Merry part, Miss Potter and Lord Black. May magic guide you safely through your paths.”

* * *

 

“So.” Harriet started as she plopped down on the green and grey plush chair of the lounge.

Harriet and Sirius were back in Grimmauld Place for lunch. They had decided to stay at a small cottage in Munich that was owned by Harriet’s great-great grandaunt whom had died during the First World Wizarding War during one of Gellert Grindelweld’s raid.

Business at Gringotts had gone smoothly after the will reading. After choosing the cottage in Germany, they had also scrounged through other properties. After filtering through everything, they finally settled on a nice, little house in Le Harve, France. It was Alphard Black’s personal home that he had bought and willed to Sirius after his death.

After that, they had banned Dumbledore from entering any and all of the vaults under her name. It still angered the girl that she could not get back what Dumbledore had taken from her trust vault, but she was extremely relieved when she found that while Dumbledore had tried to enter the family vault, he was repelled by the blood wards that forbid anyone not of Potter blood from entering.

The blood wards had turned the gears in Harriet’s head. Weren’t Blood Magic illegal? From what she had read (or rather listened to Hermione talk about), Blood Magic was illegal due to the high risk of failing and high death toll from people who cast them. While she understood why it was banned, what she didn’t understand was why the death toll and failure rate was so high while there was no record of deaths or high failure rate in the past.

She had posed the question to Sirius and Griphook. Sirius looked like he ate a sour lemon while Griphook had answered that the failures and deaths only occurred after the Ministry banned the rituals and Sabbaths for the Days of Magic. When she curiously questioned about these days, Sirius had sighed and with a wistful smile, told her he’d teach her about them when everything was calmer.

Now, back in Grimmauld Place, Harriet watched as Sirius rummaged through the rows of books in the lounge and pulled out several books on Magical Traditions and Spiritual Wheel of Magic and placed them in a bag case.

“Why aren’t these traditions and days taught at Hogwarts, Padfoot?” Harriet asked, genuinely curious as to why she never heard of them before. If these days were anything like Easter or Christmas for Christians, why didn’t they learn it as well?

Sirius paused in his searching and turned to Harriet with a frustrated look on his face. He was quiet for a while before sighing and sat down in the plush chair next to his goddaughter.

“The ministry banned the knowledge and practicing on the Days of Magic when the rate of Muggleborns increased drastically back in the 1700’s. The ministry wanted to avoid a repeat of the witch-hunts, so they banned the minor Seasonal Festivals like Litha and Lughnasadh because Muggles thought they were… wrong and Satanic. Which is not true!” Sirius quickly tacked in when he saw Harriet’s raised eyebrow. “The Days of Magic are days when Magic is the strongest. We used to honour and thank Magic during these days. We did festivals and Sabbaths that were created and geared to show our gratefulness for the magic we were gifted with from the Goddess of Magic, Hecate.

“Back then all magical families worship Lady Hecate and the Days of Magic. Now, only a few families do. My family was one of those few who refused to obey the ministry’s bans. My parents taught me everything about the Days of Magic, the Seasonal Festivals, our traditions, the Olde Ways and the ways we could worship our Goddess.” He paused at this. “I spent a lot of time at Hogwarts denying that I didn’t celebrate them.”

Harriet blinked at this. “Why.”

The Animagus smiled sadly at this. “I became friends with your father. He was a Light Faction fanatic. And at the time, the Light Faction didn’t approve of practicing rituals or Sabbaths. They agreed with the Muggles that they were Satanic. That those rituals we used to thank Magic were wrong and Dark. They forgot that the magic they hold are not truly theirs but a gift from our Goddess.”

Harriet stayed quiet for a while when Sirius went silent, his eyes clouded with grief and regret. “Why did becoming friends with dad make you say you didn’t practice the rituals?”

Sirius jerked up to look at her as if he forgot she was there, too engrossed in his thoughts. He tried to smile but his lips turned into a sad frown. “I was young and James was my first friend that was different from my family. I was afraid of losing him, so I didn’t tell him I celebrated the Days.”

Harriet stayed quiet for a moment. “Tell me again… why did Dad, no. Why does the Light Faction think that celebrating the Days is Dark?”

Sirius looked into brilliant green eyes shining with uncertainty. He smiled sadly at his goddaughter. If James and Lily had raised her, she would’ve been as much as a Light Fanatic James was. But she had gone through so much. Suffered too much at the hands of Dumbledore, the very icon of the Light Faction to be completely convinced with their ideals.

“In this time and age, the Light Faction is made up of mostly families that have mixed with Muggleborns. And these Muggleborn bring with them the culture and religion they grew up with. Their culture mostly says that anything to do with ‘Rituals’, ‘Sabbaths’ or ‘Sacrifice’ is evil and Satanic. So because the Ministry didn’t want the Muggles to refuse to allow their Muggleborn children attend Magical Schools so that they could learn to control their magic, they banned our rituals and celebrations that involve Sabbaths and sacrifices. And since in the Wizarding World, anything bad would be considered Dark. When Muggleborns married to Light Families, they started labelling the Days of Magic as Dark as well.”

“What sort of sacrifices is involved anyway?” Harriet interrupted, wary of the answer. Being raised in the Muggle World, she had much the same thoughts when it came to ritual sacrifices.

“It’s nothing serious like a death of a baby or anything. Just some fruits and on occasion, a little blood.” Sirius shook his head. “I guess that’s one of the reason why Muggleborns don’t want to learn about it.”

“But… why isn’t there any books in Hogwarts Library or even Florish and Blotts about them? If there was a book about the rituals and what they involve, maybe Muggleborns would accept it a lot more easily?” Harriet quipped.

“There _were_ a lot of books written when Muggleborns started to attend Hogwarts. But a lot of their parents said they wouldn’t let their children enter the Wizarding World if they were being thought about how to perform rituals. Even when we told them the sacrifices were nothing harmful and that the rituals had nothing to do with summoning demons, they insisted the rituals were unnatural and demonic. So, we had no choice but to Obliviate them and pass a law for everything concerning the Days of Magic, its rituals, Sabbaths and traditions to be banned and to never be spoken of in the presence of Muggles and Muggleborns.” Sirius stopped talking sadly.

“That was back during the 1700’s. There were several attempts to bring back the Days of Magic but Muggleborns refused to even hear about it. They come in and bring along their own traditions and somewhere along the lines, those of the Light Faction families started replacing some of the Days of Magic with Muggle Holidays. Samhain became Halloween. Yuletide became Christmas. They started to forget that the magic they hold were gifts from our Goddess. They started to think that Magic existed within them because they were lucky and entitled to it. That bearing Magic was a thank you gift from the world for possibly becoming a wonderful person.” Sirius sneered at this.

Then, he sighed tiredly. “Lily never thought that of course. But she never bothered to learn about the Olde Ways or the Day of Magic either. She was content of being an ‘Atheist’ I think she said.”

“Is this why a lot of pureblood families don’t like Muggleborns? Not because of their blood, but because their trying to replace Wizarding traditions with Muggle ones?” Harriet pressed, thinking about a few of her magically raised seniors and the Slytherin House that always pursed their lips in displeasure whenever Halloween and Christmas came around.

“That’s one of the reasons. They mainly think that Muggleborns stole Magic from Squibs, which I think is complete and utter bollocks!” He grinned, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

Harriet giggled at him, understanding that her godfather no longer wanted to talk about it. She turned to look at the grandfather clock that was embedded into the brick wall above the fireplace.

“It’s almost two o’clock. Huh, when did that happen?” Harriet wondered.

“Time flies when you’re busy talking about interesting subjects. Huh, I guess that’s why Care of Magical Creatures always felt short to me.” He grinned roguishly. “Now, let’s eat lunch!”

“Dobby made lunch for Miss Harry Potter and Lord Doggy Black!!” Dobby exclaimed as he popped into existence between them, bearing a tray of sandwiches of different variety.

Startled, Sirius and Harriet jumped before laughing and settling down to eat. Picking up a turkey sandwich, Harriet happily bit into it. Sirius followed suit and the two enjoyed the small peace. Sirius was quiet while Harriet tried to get Dobby to eat with them.

Sirius grew up with House Elves. He learned that House Elves were a clan that originated form the Original Elves. House Elves were originally warriors of the Elven Race called the _Mahtar_. And that House Elves needed to be bonded to a witch, wizard or household to survive. This was because of some incident involving a murder of a High Elf Queen by one of the _Mahtar_ and they were cursed to an eternity of servitude to the Atlantean Mortal Kings. If the newly named House Elves did not have a bond, the magic would accumulate inside of them and without an outlet courtesy of the bond, the elf would slowly self-destruct and go insane before eventually killing itself. That itself was a problem since there was an entire race of House Elves and only few Mortal Kings at the time.

When the Goddess of Magic, Hecate came into existence alongside Kronos, the Titan of Chaos, Hecate transferred the curse so that the House Elves could be bonded to any of her chosen magical mortals, the wizards and witches. And since then, they have been loyally serving Wizarding families even now.

And that was information he got when he and James actually _talked_ to the old House Elves of Hogwarts during their nightly adventures into the kitchens. Sirius had always been taught by his parents that House Elves were nothing but servants of the household and deserved to be punished if they did something wrong. He knew elves punished themselves if they did anything considered wrong and knew it was more of a learnt rule rather than something that was there for their own good.

Watching Harriet and Dobby now, he couldn’t help but worry if the slightly insane House Elf was already feeling the effects of not being bound.

“Dobby.” He called and the elf and his goddaughter turned their attention to him. “Did you know if you don’t bond to a witch, wizard or household, you would slowly go insane and try to kill yourself?”

Harriet and Dobby’s already wide eyes widened some more. “Sirius! How could you say that?!” Harried yelled.

“Harriet, shush. This is something James and I learned from the old House Elves at Hogwarts. They told me this themselves.” Sirius said sternly.

Harriet reeled back in shock and turned to Dobby, worry clouding her mind. She had freed Dobby from his previous bonded, the Malfoy Household. She had noticed over the past two years she saw Dobby at Hogwarts that he was very slowly becoming more and more unstable in his thoughts and actions. But she never imagined he would eventually kill himself.

She wanted Dobby to be free from the abuse he suffered at the Malfoys hands, not for him to slowly descend into insanity and suicide.

Trembling, Dobby wringed his large hands. “D-Dob-Dobby di-did not k-know, Lord Doggy Black…” He stammered fearfully. “W-Will D-Dobby d-die soon t-then?”

Sirius shook his head. “Not if you bond with me. I know you would’ve rather bond with Ana, but without a Magic, that would be impossible.” He saw despair and regret enter Harriet’s eyes. “No, Ana.” He chided firmly. “You did not know about what would’ve happened if you freed a House Elf and you don’t need to feel guilty over not being able to bond with Dobby!”

“B-But!” Harriet started but was cut off by Dobby.

“Miss Harry Potter not need feel guilty! Miss Harry Potter did right thing! Miss Harry Potter not need feel worried for Dobby! Dobby will bond with Lord Doggy Black and serve Miss Harry Potter and live free!” Dobby exclaimed freely, but froze and his flappy ears flattened against his head as he slowly looked at an amused Sirius. “T-That is if L-Lord Doggy Black would let Dobby serve freely…”

Sirius let out a loud laugh. “Of course it’s fine, Dobby. And when _I’m_ free in the eyes of the world, I’ll pay you 5 Galleons every month and a day off every week, eh? Free elves should be paid and get vacations, after all.” He grinned widely.

Harriet laughed alongside Sirius as Dobby started to shake in embarrassment.

* * *

 

Harriet took a deep breath as she and Sirius stood in front of No. 4, Privet Drive in Surrey. They couldn’t stay long because Dumbledore might be able to track them here.

A few hours after lunch, Hedwig had brought her a memo from Moody that Dumbledore still did not know that Harriet had escaped from Hogwarts and that the Professors were doing their best to keep it that way but it was still advisable to get out of the country by tonight. After casting several charms to see if there had been any tracking spells on Hedwig or the letter and came out with none, Sirius commented that while Moody was a firm member of the Light Faction, he never said anything against the Dark Arts or the Olde Ways. In fact, whenever he and the old Auror were alone, Moody would greet him with the Olde Ways.

Shaking off the curiosity, the two had immediately packed up and Sirius firmly said they would be visiting Petunia before departing for Germany. So here they were standing (reluctantly in Harriet’s case) in front of the one place she always dread returning to every summer.

“Do we have to do this?” Harriet muttered to Sirius.

“We do.” Sirius firmly stated. “I want to know exactly why Petunia allowed and even abused you herself.” He took Harriet’s hand and held it firmly. “Come on now.”

Harriet sighed as Sirius pulled her with him and pressed the doorbell. The two heard a faint _‘In a minute!’_ and Harriet anxiously shuffled her feet. Soon, they heard heavy footsteps and the door opened to reveal a fake smiling Vernon Dursley.

When Vernon caught sight of her, the fake smile shifted into an angered scowl and his large face flushed red in anger.

“What are you doing here, freak!” he spat angrily.

Snapping, Sirius swiftly lifted his wand and poked it roughly under the large man’s chin. “You will listen to me, Vernon Dursley. You will invite us inside your home right now and you will stay quiet unless I talk to you. You will _not_ be harming Harriet in _any_ way at all or so help me I will kill you. I only need a word to do it, so _don’t bloody test me_.”

Sweating out of fear and nervously, Vernon hurried stepped aside with a stammered invitation. Sirius and Harriet entered, Sirius still burning with rage while Harriet was torn between feeling relieved and wanting to laugh.

Vernon closed the door and nervously led the way to the living room where Petunia Dursley was knitting on the uncomfortable looking single couch and Dudley watching the television on the floor.

Petunia looked up and froze, her hands stopped knitting and lost their grip on the yarn. Dudley continued watching the cartoon showing until he heard the clutter of his mother’s knitting needles. He looked up and gaped at the sight of Harriet and Sirius standing behind Vernon at the entrance of the living room.

Harriet looked just as uncomfortable as her relatives while Sirius merely glared at Petunia. The 35-year-old woman looked back at the escaped false-convict stubbornly even though Sirius could clearly see the fear and nervousness in her body language.

It was silent for a few minutes – save for Dudley’s cartoon show, before Petunia finally spoke.

“What do you want?” She asked, her voice wavering at the end.

Sirius was silent for a moment, as if contemplating on what to say before opening his mouth. “Why?”

One single word. One single question that asked all other questions involved. Vernon and Dudley seemed clueless but Petunia knew what Sirius Black was talking about.

Why did you do it? Why did you allow it to happen? Why did you abuse her? Why didn’t you protect her? Why did you let past arguments affect her? Why did you take whatever anger you and Lily had and directed it at her? Why couldn’t you have loved her like Lily loved Dudley?

Petunia bit her bottom lip and looked down as she felt tears start gathering in her eyes. “Vernon, Dudley. Please leave the room.”

“Now, Pet-“ Vernon started but couldn’t finish.

“Leave. The. Room. Vernon.” Petunia pressed firmly, her voice thick with emotion.

Quietly, Vernon left the room, guiding a confused Dudley along with him. Harriet heard Vernon say he and Dudley would go out for dinner and Dudley’s questions as to why Petunia wanted them to leave.

When the trio heard the front door click shut, Petunia took a deep breath and leaned back onto the chair she was sitting on. Harriet could see the tears the older woman struggled to keep at bay.

Petunia took deep breaths as she raised her hand to wipe away the tears that wanted to overflow. She gestured for them to sit down but Sirius shook his head and remained standing. Harriet, seeing her Aunt’s pursed lip of anxiousness, walked towards her and sat down on the floor in front of her. Brilliant green eyes met pale shades of green.

And a tear slipped from those green eyes as Petunia took a deep breath and started her answer.

“When I was old enough to understand that I was an older sister, that I had someone who would look up to me and someone I could take care of as the older one, I was ludicrously happy.” She started and paused, her eyes shifting from one corner to the next as she thought. “I love Lily. I’ve always loved Lily, my only little sister. We were as close as sisters could be when we were children. We did everything together. We were inseparable. But as we grew older, Lily grew more talented and somehow, I got left behind. I didn’t notice it at first but the day Lily brought home her first perfect score on a test was the start of my… My jealousy.” She paused, as if whatever she had said hurt her deeply. And maybe, Harriet thought, it did hurt her. “My jealousy for my younger sister. Our parents started showing more affection and attention to her and I started to feel left out. When Lily befriended that boy down the street in Cokeworth, I grew jealous and angry. Jealous because I had no other close friends other than Lily; and angry because Lily found another person to call a friend. As we grew even older, those feelings grew. Until one day, a letter came by owl.

“That was when everything started falling apart. I was jealous of my sister. So, so jealous. When I found out she had Magic; something that both of us had fantasized and dreamed about and wished we could have since we were young, I grew disappointed and even more angry.” She paused and bit her lip. “I wrote a letter to the headmaster, asking… no, I was begging him to allow me to attend it as well.”

Petunia went silent as she closed her eyes, remembering the day she had gotten a response to the letter as if it had only happened minutes ago. Harriet and Sirius stayed silent as they waited for Petunia to continue. Harriet’s eyes clouded with confusion and wonder.

“After… After everything that has happened, I’m sure you know what was in the response I had gotten.” Petunia opened her eyes at this, and stared straight into Harriet’s eyes. “I grew bitter. I began to… I started treating Lily like – like an abomination. I called her and everyone and everything to do with Magic a _freak_. Because I was _jealous_. Why wasn’t I be the one who had Magic? Why wasn’t I the one who was talented? Why wasn’t I the one who was prettier?” She bitterly gritted out.

“On and on it went. It seemed like every single day I found a new reason to get angry with Lily, to get angry about Magic. I hated Magic because I didn’t have it. I hated Lily because she had everything _I_ wanted. My relationship with Lily deteriorated to the point where I couldn’t be reasoned with to listen to her. To _truly listen_ to what she was saying. The danger she was in. The danger _we_ were in.” Petunia’s lips trembled as she struggled to string words to form coherent sentences.

“After she graduated from there, it just went from bad to worse. We tried reconciling. We tried, right before Vernon and I married, we met in a restaurant. But _James_ , the bloody fool kept talking about Quidditch and Galleons and we didn’t understand. We were afraid of what he was saying, we saw the stares and we were afraid of being considered _weird_ and so, we left. And that… That thin string that tied us together shattered when I didn’t even think to look back at them.” Petunia leaned forward to bury her face in her hands and Harriet very slowly stood up. This story was coming to an end, she knew. She could feel it.

“I refused to have Lily as my bridesmaid. I didn’t want to feel overshadowed by her on my wedding day and I knew it hurt her. When it was her wedding, I didn’t go. I didn’t go to my little sister’s wedding and I hurt her with that. I knew I hurt her even more than I ever did before by not going to the wedding but I didn’t want to be involved with all those… Those…” She struggled to speak as her tears started running down her cheeks. Harriet stood silently along with Sirius. “When… When Dudley was born, Lily sent me a letter with a stuffed toy. I burned it. I burned the toy and shredded the letter without even looking at it. But I knew what was in the letter. Even though we were never close anymore, I knew what she would’ve said in that letter.” She sobbed.

“And then, Lily sent a letter about you. She sent me a letter by post because she knew I hated owls since that first time when we were 11. She told me she gave birth to a baby girl and I just threw the letter into the fire because I didn’t want to _know!_ I didn’t want to know Lily gave birth to you! I didn’t want to _know_ that I had a niece! I didn’t want to know because I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay angry at her and I didn’t want that _because I wanted to be **normal!**_ ” She ended with a choked sob.

“I wanted nothing to _do_ with Magic and I didn’t want _anything_ to do with _Lily_! But I couldn’t _help_ it!” Petunia laughed hysterically through her tears. “She was my _sister_! My baby sister! My _only_ sister and I couldn’t help but love her through all the jealousy, all the anger, all the arguments! I never stopped loving her because she was _my sister and family is everything to me!_ ”

Petunia’s shoulders shook at the force of her cries. Through the few minutes, Harriet stayed silent and Sirius stayed rigid. Finally, Sirius opened his mouth again.

“What did you think Lily wrote in that letter to you about your son?”

Petunia gasped and sobbed, trying to regain control of herself. She took deep breaths, tears still streaming down her face.

“She – she would’ve written c-congratulations and that – that she still loved me. That she forgave me and she wanted to be forgiven.” Petunia managed to sob out.

Sirius stayed silent for a while before sighing. “There was one more thing.” Sirius said, his face looked tired, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “She wanted to ask you be Harriet’s godmother.”

Petunia froze and stared, her lips parted in a silent horror and tears refilled her eyes. She sobbed and wailed into her hands and shuddered from the force of her own emotions.

Harriet too was crying. Because she could _feel_ the pain Petunia felt. She didn’t know how but she could feel what Petunia was feeling. Self-hatred. Regret. Love. Grief. Anguish.

“Why then?” Harriet choked out through her tears. “Why did you do what you did to me?!”

“I couldn’t _help_ it! I wanted to be _normal_ , Harriet!” Petunia screamed through her tears. “I didn’t want to leave you at an orphanage, you were my _niece!_ I didn’t want you growing up without family but I didn’t know how to make it _normal_ with _you_ there! So I did what I always did when faced with Magic, I grew angry and I pushed you away and I didn’t want to love you and I did what I did to be _normal!_ I _knew_ I was wrong! I knew I shouldn’t have done that to you, that I should’ve stopped Vernon and Dudley but I didn’t know how else I should’ve reacted and still be considered _normal_!”

“So you pushed me away? You abused me? Because you hated magic?!” Harriet screamed back, taking a step forward but Sirius pulled her back and hugged her tightly from behind, still staying silent.

 ** _“No!”_** Petunia screeched. **_“I do not hate you!”_**

Petunia stood up and pulled Harriet into her arms, not letting go even as Harriet struggled to get away. “Never. I never hated you. I just… You reminded me of how much of a bad sister I was. You reminded me of my mistakes. You reminded me of what I did not do to reconcile with Lily and I didn’t want to face that fact. I’m so sorry, Harriet. I know you will never forgive me. But I’m so, so, sorry, Harry. I’m so sorry…”

Harriet could feel her tears overflowing as she jerked with her sobs. She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head. Roughly, she pushed Petunia away and ran out the living room and out the house, leaving Sirius and her Aunt alone.

Petunia leaned against the couch, her face in her hands as she sobbed. Sirius merely stared on at her with a blank expression. The Black Lord took a deep breath and sighed it out, exhausted.

“She always loved you too, Petunia. She never stopped loving you. She told me that she would always love you, no matter what happens, right until the very end of time. Just like you two promised.”

And with that, Sirius left the house and the wailing woman who cried in grief over the loss of the last link of her dearest, only sister.

* * *

She ran. She ran away from the house. Ran down the street and past the identical houses. She ran and ran as tears continued to flood and spill from her eyes. She ran until her legs hurt from the sudden movements. She ran until her breaths came in short bursts of air. She ran until she tripped on a raised tile and fell.

She cried. She cried for the loss. She cried because she knew she could never forgive her aunt. She cried because she just lost her only blood connection to her mother. She cried for her mother. She cried for her aunt. She cried for her broken family.

She cried for her loneliness. She cried for her loss of magic. She cried for herself.

She wanted to be wanted. She wanted to be with her parents, with Sirius and Remus. She wanted to be _happy and content to live on._

On and on she cried, not noticing the faded gold that surrounded her form. She didn’t notice the circle that had formed beneath her feet. She didn’t notice the warm glow form arms and embrace her.

But she noticed the warmth.

And she noticed the voice.

The same voice she heard before she lost her magic.

_“I’ll always be with you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Unfortunately, no preview this time. I’ve been busy with assignments and my brother’s wedding coming up so I absolutely had no time to just sit down and write. Yes, I know I haven’t updated since June. I wanted to upload this in September, but since it was the beginning of the semester and assignments began piling up and it wasn’t exactly ‘complete’ because I’ve been writing up a more concrete plot and kept deleting and rewriting Petunia’s and Harry’s scene over and over again.  
> \- Anyway, loads of magical creature information as well as an introduction of what this arc is going to be about. Yes. This is going to feature politics and magical beings. But my idea is just a little bit different from the usual (I hope). You’ll find out more of the political side in the next chapter.   
> \- Thirdly, I want to apologize for such a late update and I also want to thank you for the 100+ reviews, 300+ favourites and the 450+ alerts for this story! I love writing this story and I hope to finish this story, no matter how long it takes. I hope you’ll be patient with me as well. I wanted to say I appreciate each and every single one of your reviews, even the sentence ‘Update, please!’ and nothing else makes me happy because it means you like my story enough to at least say something.   
> \- Though on another note, I do not have a beta reader nor do I plan on getting one because I’d feel guilty of subjecting them to my haphazard uploads. If there are any errors, may it be it grammar, spelling, inconsistencies or anything else; please do tell me so I can fix it.   
> \- If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to PM me! I may reply late but I will reply! Please bear with my super late updates and thank you so much for reading!


	7. Anew (Part One)

 

In the dark, dreary mansion of the former Riddle family, Tom Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort awoke to a sudden burst of magic spreading from his core to the rest of his wraith like body. He screamed in pain, unused to the amount and power of the magic coursing through his veins.

Tom didn’t notice the Runic Circle that slowly glowed a brilliant gold as it formed around him. He didn’t notice Nagini and Wormtail’s frozen form inside the room. He didn’t notice the growing limbs and muscle and skin. He didn’t notice the light engulfing him and the whole room. All he felt was pain, coursing through his veins. He could hear himself screaming in agony. Through it all, bits and pieces of himself returned to its original form. The form he had before he first created his Horcruxes.

And slowly, as his consciousness grew, through the pain, he noticed that he had not been this coherent since he made the second Horcrux. He noticed that he had not felt so in tuned with his magic since before his sixth year of Hogwarts. He noticed that the familiar powerful Magic that was in his core and coursing through his body was not his own.

He noticed the warmth. And he heard the cries. He heard the pleas.

Tom’s bright blue eyes snapped open, his thoughts perfectly coherent for the first time in _decades_. And then his eidetic memory – once his pride, slowly forgotten to madness, supplied the shocking truth of who’s Magic was in his core.

_Harriet Potter._

* * *

 

When Barty sneaked out of Hogwarts and into the grounds of Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton, he didn’t know what to expect. He had intended to tell his master about Potter’s lack of magic and try to get him to forget about Potter. The girl had been through enough and had just lost her magic. Death Eater he may be, he would never wish more pain and suffering to an already world hardened child.

But as he Apparated into Little Hangleton, the first thing he saw was a bright light shining through the windows of Riddle Manor. Even far from the large house, he could hear his Lord’s scream of pain. Panicked and a little worried over his Lord, Barty limped as quickly as he could towards the house in Moody’s physical body.

As soon as he opened the door, the Azkaban escapee stood stunned at the feel of pure, _undiluted_ _ritual_ Magic that washed over him. For a moment, he was flashed back to his first ever Samhain Sabbath. It was a small ritual that his mother had insisted they do behind fathers back after the death of Grandfather Caspar. He was only 11 at the time and Grandfather Caspar had passed on peacefully in his sleep. His mother had told him Samhain used to be celebrated as a Day of Magic, a day to honour the dead of beloved ones. It was a small ritual to call upon the spirit of his late Grandfather but the _Magic_ he _felt_ that night from the ritual. It was pure. It was powerful. It was wonderfully nostalgic, bringing back the old memories he had of his grandfather playing with him as a smaller child.

The magic he felt now that came from within Riddle Manor was reminisce of the magic he felt during that Samhain Day years ago. But the most curious thing was that he felt a very familiar feel of Magic coming from the Lounge his Lord favoured to occupy. It was nagging him from the back of his mind but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember from where he knew the feel of the magic.

Slowly, the light that engulfed the house receded back into the Lounge before finally disappearing under the door. Hesitantly, Barty strode forward and slowly cracked open the door and froze in shock.

The Lord that he was familiar with normally had pasty white skin and glowing red eyes, snake like features and his body robed with black. His Lord normally had a terrifying Dark Magic that resonated with their own Dark Marks and commanded attention and loyalty from those who practiced Dark Magic and the Olde Ways.

The Lord that Barty saw in front of him right now had pale, but healthy looking skin and deep dark eyes that reminded him of the night sky. His features handsome and his body fit, a black cloth covered his privates. His magic was undiluted, powerful, _intoxicating_. It was familiar but yet it wasn’t the familiarity he had of his Lord’s magic before his first defeat 14 years ago.

He could see, through Moody’s eye, the gold remnants of the magic lingering in the room and realized with a start that it was _Potter’s Magic_ ;a much darker, much more powerful version of Potter’s Magic but still _hers_.

And it was coming off in waves from his Lord’s restored body.

Barty didn’t know what the _utter fuck_ had happened. But whatever it was, wasn’t something any of them, not his Lord, not Dumbledore, not _anyone_ could have predicted or achieved.

Because the runes burned on the wooden floor beneath his Lord’s body were rarely seen.

Because only Merlin himself had ever recorded such divine designs of the Runic Circle.

Because it was Runic Circles of Magic herself in her purest form.

* * *

 

With a jolt, Tom realized he could _finally_ stand on his own two feet again. He raised a hand and marvelled at the unblemished and fair skin that rested on his meat and bones. After that third Horcrux, he had never really realized how different his body was before then. He never realized how much he had degraded, both physically and mentally. All his carefully laid plans made during his schooling years lost to insanity.

All thanks to his own foolish fear of Death.

“My Lord?”

The sudden call had Tom swirling around with his arm outstretched, reading to blow the intruder to pieces. He managed to stop his thoughts of casting when he recognized the Polyjuiced Barty standing at the doorway. His eyes roamed the room then, taking in the dusty and rotting furniture, a cowering Pettigrew and a slowly approaching Nagini.

Grimacing, he crouched down to allow Nagini to slither up his arm and around his shoulders. Gently, he stroked his familiars scale, a little amazed at the warmth. He never realized how much he had missed stroking Nagini. He remembered the coldness that had been a constant companion to him ever since he created a Horcrux from the Gaunt Ring. And he inwardly winced when he remembered what he did to his favoured familiar in the summer.

 ** _I apologize Nagini, for using you like that._** He hissed at the snake, regretfully stroking her warm scales.

Nagini merely hissed and licked her master’s cheek. **_Master was unaware. It is fine._ **

Tom’s lips quirked in a small smirk at his familiar before he turned to Barty, who was looking at him in awe and confusion.

“It seems that I have somehow received my body back without the help of the ritual… Would you like to tell me why, Barty?”

Barty startled at the smooth voice, so unlike the snake like hisses he was accustomed to from his Lord. “I-I’m not sure, my Lord. But… Your magic… It’s like…”

Tom’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. I know. It feels like Potter’s magic… Curious…” He trailed off as he looked down in thought, his chin cradled between his fingers.

Taking a deep breath, Barty figured bluntly telling his Lord about Potter was the best way to go right now. “Potter’s lost her magic to the Goblet.”

Immediately, Tom’s head snapped up and his eyes widened minutely in shock. “What?”

Barty flinched back slightly. The sudden burst of shock had caused Potter’s – no, his Lord’s magic to suddenly wash over him. It felt a little cold, but mostly enticing as his Lord’s magic always was, even back when he was somewhat insane. “Potter swore an oath that she wouldn’t compete in the tournament… And the Goblet took her magic… That was two days ago, my Lord. I deeply apologize for not telling you sooner. I was only able to get away now…”

Tom’s face scrunched up in confusion and concentration. Why would Potter choose to loose her magic instead of competing? Why would she just _abandon_ her Magic like that? Was she even alive now? He remembered reading somewhere that the pain of loosing one’s magic was equal or perhaps even more painful than the Cruciatus Curse. For her to have survived that was impossible. But on the off chance she _did_ survive…

What purpose does she play in the prophecy now?

“My Lord, what will we do now?” Barty asked hesitantly. “Potter doesn’t have magic now. She’s not much of a threat anymore, so it would be best to leave her alone, right?”

Tom paused in his thoughts and turned back to Barty with an eyebrow raised. “I may have been insane for the past few decades Barty but I know you don’t usually let anyone escape even if they are not threats. What happened?”

Barty cringed. Okay, so maybe he won’t be able to get out of much now that his Lord was 100% sane. Thank god Regulus was dead or _they_ would be getting _Cruicio-ed_ together after being humiliated with the shit they did.

“It’s… complicated, my Lord.” Barty started hesitantly, trying to find a way to tell the man what had happened in Hogwarts.

Tom raised an eyebrow at this and smirked. “Then show me. _Legilimens._ ”

* * *

 

Harriet was sitting on the swings of the park near Privet Drive when Sirius found her. She was looking down at the ground while her feet drew patterns in the sand. He sagged in relief and approached her quickly.

“You okay there, pup?” Sirius questioned as he squatted down in front of her.

Harriet didn’t say anything but nodded her head instead. Smiling softly, Sirius raised his hand to her chin and lifted it. He saw shimmering green eyes and trembling lips and felt his heart ache.

“I won’t say I understand, pup. But I can say that there are things where we can’t control, no matter what happens. Petunia allowed her jealousy to control her. She loved Lily and she never allowed herself to love you. That’s fine. Because I’m here now. I wasn’t there for you before but I _will_ be here now. For you. Because you’re my pup and I love you so, _so much_.” His smiled widened when he saw a little spark in her eyes and a slight upturn of her lips. “So turn that frown upside down and we’ll go see Remus now, eh? I have a feeling that if he chooses to stay, he’ll want to at least see you before we leave.”

Harriet stared at Sirius for a while before nodding. She was about to get up but paused and turned to look at Sirius. “Push me on the swings for awhile, please?”

Sirius stared into green eyes and felt himself melt. This was his goddaughter. His _only_ daughter. His daughter that had been deprived of love and affection for a little over a decade. He felt himself nod and smile at the happy smile that graced Harriet’s face.

He would do _anything_ to make his little girl happy.

* * *

 

Remus John Lupin stared at the empty bottle of Vodka in his hands, not knowing what to do. Dumbledore had just sent him a letter saying that Harriet had lost her magic to the Goblet of Fire and that she has gone missing last night. He had been overcome with grief and had started drinking whatever he could get his hands on in an effort to forget his own pain.

It didn’t work.

He still felt hallow. He still felt like his world had just crumbled into pieces and knew that this time there was no way to pick up the pieces. Before, when half his pack had died or gone to prison or had betrayed him, he could still stand strong. He had been strong because of the thought of protecting his cub.

But Harriet was missing now and no one knew where she was. Not even Dumbledore.

Choking on a sob, Remus dropped heavily on the ragged couch he and Sirius had bought so long ago. His pack was gone. James and Lily were dead. Peter was a traitor. Sirius was on the run and wasn’t likely to come back soon. And now Harriet – his beautiful, precious, little cub was missing.

The weary werewolf could already feel the tears start to gather again in his eyes. He idly wondered how much more could he cry before his tears dried completely. He was pretty sure there wasn’t a minute where he hadn’t cried in the past few hours since Dumbledore had delivered the news. But his heart ached in pain at the thought. He was such a miserable shit.

Bangs on the door startled him. He sat up, confused as to who would visit him. Dumbledore had contacted him through letters and he knew no one else alive that would visit him willingly. With a wince at the thought, he hurriedly wiped at his eyes and quickly approached the front door as the bangs continued.

When Remus opened the door, he was most definitely not prepared to see the shaggy dark hair and blue-grey eyes he was so familiar with. He stood at the doorway, completely rigid as he stared in shock at the man standing in front of him.

“Well, staring has definitely been fun, Moony but could you step aside so we can get inside and warm, please?” Jested Sirius as his roughish grin widened at the gobsmacked expression on his friend’s face.

Remus continued starting for a few moments before Sirius’s words registered in his mind. “We?”

At that, Harriet stepped out from behind Sirius with an apologetic grin on her face, her green eyes lighting up mischievously at him. Remus stiffened further and his body reacted before his mind could catch up to what was happening. His feet moved forward while his arms raised themselves to shove Sirius away (“Hey!”) so he could reach his cub and engulf her in a tight hug.

Harriet stiffened in surprise but soon relaxed as she felt the tremors that racked Remus’s body, affecting her as well. Slowly, she raised her arms to wrap around his back, squeezing lightly. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Moony. In my defence, we didn’t contact you first because Sirius thought it would be a great prank to play on you.”

Remus sobbed and laughed hysterically at the same time. “I’ll get him back for that later.”

“You shoved me into a bloody _bush_ Moony, I think you got your revenge well enough.” Came Sirius’s sarcastic drawl and the two hugging broke apart to turn and look at him.

True enough, Sirius sat on his bum in a bush with leaves and sticks stuck to his hair and clothes. Harriet and Remus took one long look at him, then looked at each other and promptly burst out laughing. Sirius pouted at his best friend and goddaughter before grinning and laughing as well.

As Remus held out a hand to help Sirius up, only to be dragged down into the bush as well, Harriet’s heart swelled in hope. She laughed as her godfathers started wrestling in the bush and in her heart; she prayed that they could have millions of more laughs like this in the future.

* * *

 

Tom reclined in the large green plush chair that sat in the study room of Riddle Manor. Compared to the dreary, rotting look a few hours ago, he had finally transfigured and repaired most of what had been damaged while testing out his Magic. Decayed wood was repaired and the pine panelling almost glistened from the magic. Furniture were righted, stuffed again and mended. Windows were repaired and cleaned and the hearth blazed with warm fire.

It had truly been a while since he had done such a mundane task, yet as his Magic flowed energetically along his veins and into his spells, he couldn’t help but enjoy it. While he did not regret the deaths he used to create his Horcruxes, he did regret not thoroughly researching the spell and its consequences to his magic, body and mind.

As his eyes roamed the book he had found in the late 1950s about the Goblet of Fire, his thoughts drifted to his former enemy. Former because like Barty had said; without magic, Harriet was of no threat to him. The memories he had seen from Barty of the event both confused and shocked him.

Like the masses (to his everlasting disgust) he had thought the Girl-Who-Lived to be a pampered, spoiled little brat that had gotten everything she wanted. He had thought her arrogant and sheltered. He had thought that she could get everything she wanted. He had thought she was nothing more than a weak little sheep that followed Dumbledore’s manipulations like a good little dog.

He was wrong and he hated being wrong, so he forced himself to actually read the contents of the book he was holding. 

Supposedly, Zeus, the King of the Gods had commissioned Hephaestus, the God of Fire, the Forge and Volcanoes to create the Goblet of Fire after the first Olympian games was held to pick the best of the best of warriors to compete in the tournament. Like what was done a few weeks ago, names would be written and dropped and the magic of the pure fire would choose those worthy and most likely to survive them. Unlike the Muggle Olympic Games, its Magical counterpart were much more dangerous and ranged from harmless swimming to battles to the death with Hydras.

The clause where a witch or wizard would lose their magic had only come into effect in 779 BC after one of the warriors chosen by the Goblet ran away with the King’s wife. The King had been so angered, he had demanded the clause be added after he had hunted the warrior down and killed him and his wife. Tom snorted at this.

 _“What foolishness.”_ He thought as he snapped the book shut, deciding to think on it more later on. He stood to return the book to its place on the shelves when the parchments on his desk caught his eye.

Tom stared at them for a while before sighing, his shoulders sagging in exhaustion. He raised a hand to his temple, tiredly massaging it. He really didn’t want to think about how his former enemy was raised in a similar situation as his own youth. It really didn’t come as a surprise for Dumbledore to ignore an orphan’s pleas for protection from Muggles. But it was surprising that the old fool would do it to his precious Girl-Who-Lived. Though he had his fair share of experiences with those blasted Muggles in his youth, he had always been able to protect himself. He had been abused, yes. But he never imagined the slight of a girl that had faced him with fierce determination and defiance in her eyes to be an _abused_ child.

Even worse since it was her _blood family_ that had done it.

Cringing, Tom quickly gathered the parchment for safekeeping. He wouldn’t be able to use them right now, after all.

“My Lord, I’m about to head back to Hogwarts now.” Barty called after knocking on the lounge door. Tom wandlessly opened the door, much to Barty’s awe. Tom wore an amused look, he had forgotten how rare Wandless Magic was and how amusing it was to watch prideful purebloods gape at him in awe when he did it.

Tom handed the parchments in his hands to Barty. “Drop by Gringotts when you can and put this in your vault. I’ll ask for it after I create a new identity to use in the Wizangamot.” Tom ordered and walked past the loyal man.

Barty stared after his Lord in confusion, though he was still a little awed at the display of magic. He looked down at the parchments in his hands and quirked a smirk. As he turned to walk out of the manor, he wistfully wished Regulus were still alive for them to plot a way for their newly found sane Lord to be more open in his opinions. He chuckled at the thought as he took a quick look at the parchments again before he tucked them in his pocket and Apparated away.

_Proposal for Protection of Magical Orphans Act._

* * *

“Well then.” Remus started as he placed tea in front of Sirius and Harriet. “What is this all about?”

After the trio had entered the home, Sirius and Remus had _Scrougify-ed_ themselves before settling on the living room couch. Harriet sat on the large red plush chair she suspected Sirius had bought when they were younger while Sirius and Remus took up the soothing cream coloured couch.

“Minerva told me you lost your Magic, Harriet.” Remus said gently.

Harriet flinched at the reminder. “It was to lose my Magic or face Death in the face again this year, Moony.”

“It was still very dangerous, Harry.” Remus pressed. “There are many records of witches and wizards dying after loosing their Magic.”

“But what matters is that Ana survived it, Moony.” Sirius interrupted firmly. “She’s alive and well and we’re leaving the country.”

“What?”

“How is that subtle, Sirius?!”

Harriet and Remus exclaimed at the same time while Sirius shrugged unapologetically. “Ana and I will be leaving the country for Germany. We came to ask if you’re in with us or you’re out with Dumbledore?”

“Dumbledore doesn’t know what you’re doing?!” Remus gasped.

“Dumbledore has been manipulating Ana since day one and has been keeping secrets and stealing from her vault, Remus.” Sirius pressed angrily.

“He wouldn’t-“

“He did.” Harriet cut Remus off coldly, bringing the werewolf’s attention to her. “He placed me with the Dursleys and forced me to stay there when he knew perfectly well how cruel they were to me. He stole from my trust vault every year since Mum and Dad died. He stole Dad’s Invisibility Cloak and gave it to me for Christmas implying that Dad had allowed him to ‘borrow’ it. He stole all the items Mum and Dad left me in my vault and I can’t get them back. He _knows_ Sirius is innocent and yet refuses to allow him a trial even though he _could have done it when he discovered Peter was still alive!_ ”

Harriet’s voice had risen as she ended her speech. She slowly stood from her seat to stand in front of Remus and Sirius. “He’s not what we thought he is, Moony. He lied to a lot of us. He refuses to see that he was wrong and refuses to correct his mistakes. I don’t trust him and if you don’t agree to come with us, we… we…”

“We’ll be forced to _Obliviate_ you, Moony.” Sirius continued for his goddaughter. “For our safety and Ana’s happiness, Dumbledore cannot know where we’re heading.” He continued and looked straight into Remus’s deep brown eyes seriously. “Are you with us or not.”

Remus stared at his best friend and cub for a long time, his mind reeling with the information he had gotten. Had Dumbledore really done all that? Or was it a lie? Was Sirius trying to get him to not trust Dumbledore anymore? What in God’s name was going on?!

“I…” Remus swallowed. “I don’t know, Padfoot… It… This just seems so unreal.”

Harriet sighed sadly and Sirius looked pained. “I know it does, Remus but it is the truth.” Sirius said, an almost desperate tone present in his voice. “I really don’t want to have to _Obliviate_ you. It wouldn’t be fun.” He chuckled weakly.

Remus smiled weakly as well but turned to Harriet when he heard quiet sniffles. His eyes softened considerably when he saw the tears gathering in her eyes and stood to pull her in a tight hug.

“I want you to come with us, Moony…” Harriet whispered sadly through her tears.

Remus smiled comfortably, his eyes conveying just how much he wanted to believe her. His thoughts were a warzone right now and he needed to see with his own eyes if what Harriet and Sirius were saying was true. “I’ll always be with you, cub. Even if I don’t remember, I’ll always put you first.” He said with a sad smile as he wiped away her tears.

Sirius stood and joined the two in a hug. “We’re going to miss you, Moony.”

Remus snorted playfully. “You’ll just miss not having a target for your pranks.”

Harriet burst out laughing at the two and the three broke off the hug. Sirius and Harriet moved to the side as Remus sat back down. Sirius raised his wand and Harriet looked away. Remus only smiled comfortingly at the two, his heart swelling in love and pain.

“We’re really sorry for this, Moony.” Sirius said finally.

“I may not be able to remember this, Padfoot, but my heart will know the two of you will be safe and that’s enough for me.” Remus returned with a happy grin.

“We’ll miss you, Moony.” Harriet tacked in and Remus smiled at her, affection clear on his face.

“I’ll miss you both very much as well. Take care of each other.”

Sirius took a deep breath and steadied his wand.

“ _Obliviate._ ”

* * *

Madam Poppy Pomfrey was feeling very much irritated with her long time friend and former Professor. So were Minerva McGonagall and Fillius Flitwilk. Alastor Moody had already disappeared as soon as possible. Even Pomona Sprout, Septima Vector and Bathsheda Babbling were getting fed up with a certain 113-years-old Headmaster.

It had only been a few hours since Harriet had sneakily left the castle. (Minerva had ensured no one would be in her path to escape via deducting house points. Fillius and Bathsheda were distracting the headmaster with talks of the press and handling the French and Bulgarian guests. Pomona was adamantly refusing anyone who asked after Harriet with a threat of some Venomous Tentacula. Severus had disappeared into his room and hadn’t come out since Harriet lost her magic and none of them really had the nerve to disturb him after that sob they heard when they first tried to knock.) Albus had been unnecessarily uncooperative in leaving Harriet alone during her time in the infirmary. He had come up with a hundred and one excuses to try and persuade Harriet to continue staying at Hogwarts despite not having magic. It had taken several upper year Slytherins and Ravenclaws catching onto what was happening and provoking the Gryffindors and Huflepuffs about Quiddicth matches and Blood Purity for Albus to _finally_ leave the girl alone to handle the fights that broke out in halls. (Which was a remarkable show of inter-house relationship, Madam Pomfrey thought. Even though she also thought that the Slytherins were taking the chance not getting punished by Minerva to rile up the Gryffindors.)

She, and the rest of the staff had been trying their very best to keep Albus from visiting Harriet’s room after she had left wanting to buy her enough time to get out of the country. (Because Bathsheda had overheard Harriet and the Beauxbatons champion talking and she knew that at the very least, her favourite student was going to leave the country. Where exactly; was still a mystery.) And that had been an almost impossible task by itself until Bathsheda and Septima had finally gotten fed up of the old man and erected a Charmed Ward around the infirmary, redirecting Albus into thinking that he had something else to do elsewhere.

So here they were, exhausted and either leaning on or sitting on the various furniture in the infirmary, tiredly drinking tea and munching on biscuits. Bathsheda and Septima had conquered two beds, tired from creating a ward strong enough to fool Albus Dumbledore. Minerva and Fillius were reclining on stiff chairs, tea in hand. Pomona was helping Poppy make more tea and biscuits at the side of the room. This was one of the days they were ever so thankful it was Sunday and thus, there were no classes.

“I never thought I’d say this but, thank God for Albus’s unnatural love for Muggle Sweets.” Septima murmured into the pillow. Since when were infirmary beds this comfortable? Or was that just her exhaustion talking?

“I second that.” Bathsheda groaned. “I am never going against Albus in terms of Warding and Charms ever again.”

“Thank you again, the both of you.” Minerva smiled tiredly at the two younger Professors.

“We’re just lucky I have what Muggles would call a Minor Degree in Charms.” Septima muttered. “Bloody hell, I never want to combine Charms and Warding ever again. I love Arithmancy but this is ridiculous.”

“Someone please tell me little Harriet has made it out of the country.” Bathsheda groaned into her pillow.

“None of us would know, laddies.” Alastor voiced as he came into the infirmary.

“Welcome back, Alastor.” Minerva greeted. “Where exactly did you go?”

Alastor smirked. “I went to ‘ta Ministry and got Bones to look into Albus’s come and goings. He’s gonna have a hard time finding Potter if he’s got Bones on his arse.”

“Does anyone know where Miss. Potter is heading?” Septima asked. “I would like to know where the girl I’ve exhausted my Magic for is heading to.”

“Egypt, probably.” Alastor said. “The Potter family has property there and the government doesn’t care much for Black’s actions.”

“ _Sirius Black?!”_ Pomona gasped in disbelief. “She’s running away with a traitor?!”

“Oh hush down, Pomona!” Minerva snapped. “Sirius never betrayed the Potters. It has always been Pettigrew. And besides, if you remember correctly, there was never a trial for Sirius.”

Bathsheda furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Where did you get that from?”

“Albus.” Minerva drawled tiredly. “I _am_ apart of the Order and he told me what had happened last year. Apparently, Pettigrew was a rat Animagus masquerading as Ron Weasley’s pet.”

“Oh my goodness.” Pomona sat down on the bed that Septima occupied, her legs shaking and her face horrified at the thought of a traitorous rat sleeping in the same room as an innocent child.

“I never liked that rat.” Filius muttered as he sipped on his tea and Poppy nodded in agreement.

“Well wherever Harriet is, its best if we keep this from Albus.” Minerva said firmly.

“Egypt, is it?”

Freezing, the occupants of the room turned to see Albus standing at the Infirmary’s entrance, looking over them with an air of disappointment. Minerva quickly stood from her seat as Alastor hung at the back, his hand on his wand holster. The rest of them eyed the old Headmaster warily.

“I am disappointed that you would think I could cause harm to Harriet.” Albus started. “I would never harm her, she’s like a granddaughter to me. I just wanted her to be safe.”

Pomona couldn’t smother a snort and Albus glared at her. Bathsheda, Septima and Filius on the other hand just stared at Albus with a blank look that managed to convey how much they didn’t believe him. Minerva and Poppy just bristled and glared fiercely at him.

“If you wanted to ‘protect’ her as you say, you would have noticed Quirrel being possessed by You-Know-Who in her first year, you would have derailed those rumours of her going Dark in her second year and you would havepetitioned for Black’s trial in her third year so _she could get out of those abusive Muggles hands!_ ” Poppy ranted angrily, her hands waving accusingly at him. “You have done nothing but put her in danger year after year, Albus! Honestly, I’m rather thankful she no longer has Magic. At least she can no longer be in danger in the _safest place in Magical Britain_.” She ended sarcastically.

Albus frowned disapprovingly at Poppy. “It was for the Greater Good.”

This time, no one could hold back his or her snorts of disbelief.

Alastor shook his head. “So now you know Potter’s gone to Egypt, what will you do? Drag her back kicking and screaming?” He sneered.

“It’s for her own safety, she’s still in danger! Voldemort will not rest until she is dead!” Albus argued. “She is safest here.”

“Black will bring her to one of his estates then, no doubt. She’s safer behind Black Wards than any ward Hogwarts has.” Alastor huffed. “We all know how paranoid Blacks are.”

“Those wards are dark. It could affect her!”

“And the wards put up on the Black townhouse you planned to use as headquarters isn’t?” Minerva asked with an impressive sneer.

“It will be safer for her here, in Britain and that is final!” Albus exclaimed, his magic spreading and almost choking them. “I will bring her back and she will stay in Britain. It will be safer for everyone.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

After a few moments, the room seemed to breath out a collective sigh of relief. Minerva plopped back down in her chair. “She’s not really going to Egypt, is she?”

Alastor snorted. “Of course she isn’t. Black’s not stupid enough to go to any Potter property with Albus as Potter’s guardian.”

“At least we managed to buy the girl some time… though is Sirius Black really innocent?” Septima asked.

“He is.” Alastor confirmed firmly.

“Then we can only hope they get to wherever they need to go safely and quickly.”

* * *

Callidora Longbottom watched as the rain fell from her place on the window seat of the Longbottom Townhouse. Her steel grey eyes watched as drop after drop fell from the skies in a steady rhythm only known by the Gods of the Olde.

Just a few hours ago, she had sense a shift in Magic. Her father had told her that Magic had shifted and felt wrong since the summer of 1899. Nearly a century had passed and it seemed that Magic had shifted again, and this time even her old bones could feel how _right_ this change will be.

Callidora turned away from her view when her long time House Elf, Minty, appeared in the room bearing her tea on a silver tray. The old woman smiled at the loyal House Elf that had been with her since childhood.

“Is Lady Calli requiring anything else?” Came the elf’s croaky voice.

“None at the moment, Minty.” Callidora replied as she took a cup of tea in her hand and smiled softly as she eyed the crest her House Elf wore proudly, even after her marriage.

A shield shaped crest with greyhounds on each side. 2 five-pointed stars on the top part of the shield, which was coloured red, a short sword at the bottom middle part of the shield, which was coloured white and a white chevron separating the two parts. Below the shield was a ribbon with her family’s motto: _Toujours Pur._

_The Black Family Crest._

* * *

“Magical Germany is beautiful.” Harriet breathed as she took in the old buildings that surrounded them. They had arrived in Munich’s Magical district named _Gerechtigkeit Straße_ , meaning Justice Road. It was where the court and judicial houses as well as the Ministry were located. Justice Road had buildings that had been well used and preserved from the late 1800s. She excitingly took in the beautifully crafted brightly coloured Romanesque architecture in awe. It was certainly different from the dark colours of Diagon Alley while still had its own charm, were admittedly not as well taken care of despite its everyday use.

“It’s one of the best places for any witch or wizard to live.” Sirius said, fondly taking in Harriet’s excitement. “Germany’s Magical government takes care of its populace really well. They don’t really let blood purity go overboard here.”

“I can see that…” Harriet murmured as she watched witches and wizards from different parts of the world interacting happily. There was still that line dividing Purebloods and Muggleborns, but they were at least polite to each other, if not slightly tolerant.

She had noticed the dark alleyways that housed several sick looking wizards as well. Pale, daunting with sunken eyes. She felt a twinge in her heart as she remembered how often she saw that sort of look on Remus’s face close to the full moon. She pursed her lips in frustration. They were all Magicals. Beings capable of Magic or made from Magic itself. Why was there a line dividing Wizards and Witches and Magical Creatures? They should be helping them, not isolating them!

Then she stopped short as she remembered she was no longer _Magical_. She bit her lip, her mind wondering if she made the right decision. Perhaps she had been too rash…? At that thought she shook her head. She did the right thing. Her choice was a purely selfish one and no matter how much she would miss her magic, she would not regret it.

“You okay there, pup?”

Sirius’s concerned voice brought Harriet’s attention back to him. She gave him a hesitant smile and shook her head. “Just… thinking.”

Sirius continued to hold her eyes for a few more moments before nodding in return, letting her off. Harriet’s smile widened gratefully and her hand went to grip his tightly. “Where are we going first?” She asked, wanting to change the topic.

Sirius squeezed her hand back and tugged her forward towards an elegant off-white building at the end of Justice Road. “Germany’s DMLE. They have their own building separate from the Ministry itself ever since the war ended.”

Harriet admired the beautiful architecture, wishing she had her magic to feel the old enchantments on such a powerful building. She tensed slightly and forced herself to stop thinking about her loss of Magic.

The two walked steadily towards the building, Harriet’s grip on her godfather’s hand tightening as they got closer and closer. Doubt and fear began to cloud her mind. Were they making the right decision here? What if they didn’t listen? What if they just arrested Sirius like Britain did? What were they going to do then?

“Ana, stop thinking.” Sirius cajoled gently. “It’s going to be okay.” He gave a reassuring smile at her.

Hesitantly, Harriet pushed her thoughts down as they entered the large building through the huge ornate doors. Sirius made a beeline for one of the counters, tugging Harriet behind him. She observed the woman at the counter curiously. A flag of Britain sat at the front of her desk, as well as a nameplate: _Gwenllian Greengrass._

She recognized the last name, her mind flashing to the pretty blonde Slytherin Greengrass in her year. She felt Sirius tighten his hold on her hand and looked up curiously at the sudden soft look in his eyes.

Stopping in front of the desk, Sirius cleared his throat and the woman looked up. She froze and the quill in her hand dropped on the table. Her eyes – blue, like the sky – widened in shock and disbelief.

“Sirius Black?” She whispered his name, not believing the sight before her.

Sirius smirked weakly, in Harriet’s opinion. “It’s been awhile, Gwen.”

“W-What are you doing here?” Gwenllian sputtered, gaining the attention from nearby counters and visitors to the DMLE.

“I came to ask for a trial I never got in Britain.”

At that, Gwenllian stood up, her hand banging on the table and her eyes wide in horror. Harriet could see the woman shake. Others in the large entrance hall turned to her curiously. A few Aurors – she recognized from the standard uniform and badges they wore started for them.

“You were in Azkaban… without a trial?” Gwenllian muttered, her voice filled with horror at the idea and Harriet could see the woman’s brown eyes shine with tears.

Even though the woman had merely muttered those words, the insisting noise that had been present in the hall stopped. Harriet squeezed Sirius hand in comfort and he squeezed it back. Sirius stared straight into glassy brown eyes and smiled sadly.

“I didn’t.”

Immediately, whispers broke out and the Aurors rushed forward to stop the civilians from stepping out to ask their own questions.

“Please come with us, Mr. Black.” One of the Aurors stated.

“My goddaughter comes with me.” Sirius firmly said – his back straight and head held high. In that instant, Harriet could see a different man than the one she knew as her godfather.

Another Auror came up to Harriet. “Your name, Miss.” He asked, his English slightly accented in heavy German.

Sirius gave her hand a squeeze and let go. For a moment, she panicked at the loss of comfort before a wave of calmness washed over her. The presence in her mind that had been dormant coming alive and suddenly, her back was straight and her eyes met the Auror’s with steady confidence.

“Harriet Potter.”

The whispers picked up and people around the hall started to step forward to get a better look at the Girl-Who-Lived. The Aurors reeled in their shock and quickly surrounded the two British and escorted them out the hall and into a large hallway.

Harriet wondered on where her sudden confidence came from as they walked the elegant halls of the DMLE. They passed portraits of people she didn’t recognize but from the nameplates below them, she guessed they were portraits of war heroes and late Aurors. Like the building’s exterior, the interior designs were Romanesque and a cool crème with pale grey wood that she didn’t recognize.

She took the time to observe their tense escorts. There were five of them, 2 in front and 3 at their backs. She noticed their Auror uniforms were standardized in a deep green on the outside and fully black on the inside. Each wore uniforms that were reminiscing of an army man’s uniform: simple and easy to move in. The Aurors themselves looked imposing, which in Harriet’s opinion definitely beat out some of the pathetic looking Aurors she saw patrolling Diagon Alley sometimes.

Finally, the group stopped at a pair of double doors, runes of _Algiz, Eihwaz_ and _Tiwaz_ carved onto the doors alongside several smaller runes that looked Grecian in nature. Green eyes brightened at the unique use of Norse and Greek runes. The two cultures were known to have warred against each other, so it was rare for two different types of cultural runes to be used in the same script.

Harriet’s attention was diverted when the doors opened and the two British were ushered inside. The first thing the former witch noticed was the man with bright blue eyes, tall and imposing as he leaned against the large oak desk with a gold plate with his name and title engraved on it: _Adalbert Emmerich, Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement_. He certainly was handsome; she thought absentmindedly. With short blonde hair and light stubble at his chin, he was one of the most attractive men she’d met.

“Welcome to Germany, Lord Black.” He grinned roguishly, extending his arms out in a friendly welcome. His voice held the tiniest of Germanic accents.

Sirius smiled casually as Harriet watched the Aurors dismiss themselves from the room hastily. “Not a Lord until I’m cleared, I’m afraid. How have you been, Emmerich?”

“Definitely better than you have, Black.” The German man slumped before turning his attention to the curious teen behind Sirius. “And who’s this?”

Harriet straightened as she paid close attention to the man. Sirius knew this man, most probably from the last war. He seemed friendly enough, though she could see from the tenseness of his shoulders, the way his feet were parted evenly and the way his hand always seemed to be curled slightly as if ready for a wand to slip into it, that he was ready for combat if it was needed.

She hadn’t survived the past three years on luck alone, after all.

“Harriet Potter.” She introduced herself, bowing slightly though her eyes never left his. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Emmerich.”

“Potter’s daughter, then?” He hummed as he observed the slight of a girl. He noticed Sirius’s foot move slightly back, as if ready to shield the girl if an attack came and smiled slightly. “What really happened that night, Black?”

“I wasn’t James’s secret keeper. Pettigrew was.” Sirius said, his body tense for an attack.

“I figured that out as soon as the news came out. Couldn’t do anything though; since they already threw you in Azkaban and I had no rights in Britain’s politics.” Emmerich spat out bitterly.

At that, Sirius relaxed slightly. “How’d you guess?”

Emmerich snorted. “Wasn’t hard to guess. You were Potter’s best friend so you would be too obvious to be a secret keeper. So it was up to Lupin or Pettigrew. I knew there were talks of a spy and Lily wrote to me that most of you idiots suspected Lupin, so the most logical explanation would be Pettigrew. Weak, unassuming Pettigrew, no one would suspect the rat.” He ended sarcastically.

Sirius and Harriet winced. “Yeah, it does sounds stupid… So, you’ll give me a trial?” Sirius asked.

Emmerich gave him a blank look that managed to convey how much of an idiot he thought Sirius was. “I’ve had it ready to be signed for approval since 1981 you bastard. I’ve been waiting for you to break your ass out of Azkaban and into Germany for a trial… or did your dog mind not think of it?” He eyed the sheepish looking smile on Sirius’s face in disdain.

Sirius coughed as he scratched his nose, feeling extremely embarrassed. “Uh… Well, Ana’s the one who thought up of coming here… I was more focused on catching Pettigrew, to be honest.”

At this, both Emmerich and Harriet snorted. The German DMLE Head gave her an approving nod. “Good thinking there, kid. You definitely have Lily’s brain, that’s for sure. Potter was all brawns, no brain… unless it involved ambushes.”

“Really?” Harriet asked, giving a small smile in appreciation on the small look into her parents’ personalities.

Emmerich nodded at her and then reached behind him and retrieved a file. He held it out and Sirius took it, his hand trembling slightly in anticipation.

“I’ve sent that to Minister Gustav under top priority and is currently waiting for approval. I’ll send you an owl of when the trial will be held. Expect it tonight or early tomorrow.”

Sirius nodded as he pursued the file in his hands: proof, witnesses, statements and even _Pensieve_ memories to support him. “Thank you, Adalbert.”

Emmerich laid a hand on Sirius’s shoulder. “There’s no thanks needed, friend. Just focus on what will happen next.” Then he turned to Harriet, who was quietly watching them. “I’ve set up a _Portkey_ with Greengrass in the Entrance Hall. Just tell her where you need to go and she’ll make one for you two.”

Harriet smiled in thanks as Sirius straightened and closed the file. “Why don’t you wait outside for me, pup?”

Green eyes narrowed at him but he gave her a small laugh. “I promise I’ll tell you about it later.”

She gave the two men a glare that portrayed her frustration but nodded and left the room with a slam of the door. Emmerich and Sirius flinched at the sound.

“She really takes after her mother, doesn't she?” Emmerich mused as he shook his head fondly at the door.

“You have no idea.” Sirius snorted and the two fell into a tense silence.

Emmerich sighed as he leaned back on the desk. “What happened to her Magic?”

Sirius’s eyes turned cold and hard. “Someone put her name into the Goblet of Fire for the Tri-wizard Tournament. It was either face death or loose her Magic… Combined with the hell she’s been through in Hogwarts and Britain’s Magical society, I’m not surprised she chose to lose her Magic.”

Emmerich winced. “She’s _fourteen_.”

“Dumbledore definitely didn’t care about her age when he stuck her with abusive relatives.” Sirius snarled, still angry at Petunia.

“I knew he was a crackpot, even back in the war but that’s…” Emmerich shook his head. “No matter how bloody the war was, Voldemort didn’t leave children fully orphaned. I mean yeah, he killed their parents but usually they’d leave at least the mother alive.”

“Ana’s an exception… Neville too, I guess.” Sirius said as his shoulders slumped in exhaustion. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Adalbert. We’ve got a house ready in France and Harriet wants to enrol in a Muggle school and Remus’s confused and _Obliviated_ and she’s lost her Magic and I’m not even sure what to do if Dumbledore finds us.”

“Have faith in Her, old friend.” Emmerich said, patting Sirius’s shoulder. “Concentrate on the ‘now’. You can think about ‘later’ once you’ve settled down a little. As for Dumbledore, he can’t touch you once you’re in France. I know you’ve got a citizenship there and I can pull a few strings to get one for the kid. Just focus on the trial first, then go from there.”

Sirius swallowed thickly and nodded hesitantly. “She’s interested in the Days.”

Emmerich raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Didn’t think she’d be interested in that.”

“She… before she lost her Magic, I noticed that she was… unusually aware of her Magic and the Magic around her. She’d describe them in textures and feelings and… you should see her when she’s casting spells, Adalbert! She cast a fully corporal _Patronus_ that drove away _hundreds_ of _Dementors_! At _fourteen,_ Adalbert! A fully corporal _Patronus_ at _fourteen_!” Sirius exclaimed.

Emmerich’s eyes were wide and his jaw slacked in shock. “That’s… oh… wow… That’s… I don’t even know what to say Sirius, but she’s powerful. Or _was_ powerful.”

Sirius slumped forward, his eyes looked haunted and confused. “That’s just the thing. I don’t think she really lost her Magic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Fun fact: Adalbert means ‘noble bright’. Emmerich means ‘whole power’. I love name meanings.  
> -This was getting long and I’m actually not done yet. I just wanted to get this out for New Years (lol).  
> -Question asked a lot: Will Dumbledore be punished? Will Harriet get her stuff back? Nope. Not yet. I’ve got something planned for Dumbledore and I’ve never seen it be done before so I hope you’ll be patient for it! As for her stuff… well it’s more of a lesson: sometimes, you can’t always win. Yes it’s sad that Harriet won’t get her stuff back, but life isn’t fair. She might get her stuff back… At the end of the story that is.  
> -Another popular question: Who is that voice? Is it Tom? Is it Hecate? I’ll give you a hint: it’s different people. Who? No spoilers here, sorry!  
> -RebeliousOne: From the end of this chapter you’ll know that Harriet will get her Magic back. What sort of magic? We shall see. As for not seeing Tom dating a Muggle? Blood doesn’t matter when you’re in love. ;) Plus, it’s going to take a long time before they even get together.  
> -StValentineSt: Remus isn’t following them! But I do have plans for him. All of those Harriet trusts and cares for deeply will have a large role in coming chapters.  
> -frannienzbabe: The press (Read: Rita Skeeter) will find out. When? How? I haven’t written it yet. Probably the next chapter.  
> -Ina Bauer: I would love, love, love to be able to just write all day and update regularly. But unfortunately I’m taking quite a time consuming degree and I also have other volunteer commitments to fulfil. Goblin rights in Wizarding eyes will change I will guarantee that. But it won’t be right now because they’re still settling in and Harriet would be thinking more on what’s going on in her life more than what’s going on in other people’s life.  
> -Guest: You make a good point that one can just enter Voldemort’s name and let it strip him of his magic when he doesn’t compete. Except one thing: Barty Crouch Jr. He’s posing as Moody after all and as a loyal Death Eater, he would tell Voldemort and ‘technically’, he can just step on the stage of the tasks and do nothing and still keep his Magic. As for why Harriet didn’t just do what I said, she’s a teenage hormonal girl who is tired of being forced to fight for her life every single damned year since she entered Hogwarts.  
> -ADL1: I have absolutely no idea how many chapters this thing will spawn. I’m already six chapters in and I haven’t even gotten to the middle part of the plot yet.  
> -Thank you so much to all those who reviewed, favourite and alerted this fic! It really means a lot to me that so many people like it despite my sporadic updates. I’m a horrible author for not keeping regular updates. I hate it when it happens but I have been extremely busy with RL commitments. But do not fear! I will update… when is kinda ehhhh—  
> -Previews: Barty bemoans his new job as a messenger bird | Harriet discovers the wonders of her ancestors library | Sirius meets his newest bae | Reactions! | Insight on those left behind in Britain | Introducing: Marius Black!


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